CN108603291B

CN108603291B - Vacuum processing system and method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN108603291B
Application number: CN201680081594.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 尼尔·莫里森; 于尔根·亨里奇; 弗洛里安·里斯; 托拜厄斯·斯托利; 德烈亚斯·索尔; 沃尔夫冈·布什贝克
Original assignee: Applied Materials Inc
Current assignee: Applied Materials Inc
Priority date: 2016-02-12
Filing date: 2016-02-12
Publication date: 2023-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 2036-02-12
Also published as: WO2016128560A2; WO2016128560A3; JP6803917B2; CN108603291A; EP3414359A2; US20200165721A1; EP3674440A1; JP2019506534A; KR20180110123A

Abstract

A vacuum processing system (100) for a flexible substrate is provided. The vacuum processing system (100) comprises: a first chamber (110) adapted to house a supply roll (111) for providing a flexible substrate; a second chamber (120) adapted to house a take-up reel (121) for storing the flexible substrate (160) after processing; a substrate transport arrangement comprising one or more guide rollers (104) for guiding a flexible substrate from a first chamber (110) to a second chamber (120); a maintenance zone (130) between the first chamber (110) and the second chamber (120), wherein the maintenance zone (130) allows a maintenance access to or belonging to at least one of the first chamber (110) and the second chamber (120); and a first processing chamber (140) for processing the flexible substrate (10).

Description

Vacuum processing system and method thereof

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a vacuum processing system and a method of operating a vacuum deposition system. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate in particular to vacuum deposition systems and methods for processing flexible substrates. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to roll-to-roll (roll-to-roll) vacuum deposition systems and methods of depositing at least two layers on flexible substrates.

Background

The handling of flexible substrates, such as plastic films or foils, is highly desirable in the packaging industry, the semiconductor industry, and other industries. The processing may include coating the flexible substrate with a desired material, such as metals, particularly aluminum, semiconductors, and dielectric materials, etching, and performing other processing steps on the substrate for the desired application. Systems that perform this task generally include a processing drum (e.g., cylindrical roller) coupled to the processing system for transporting the substrate, and at least a portion of the substrate is processed on the processing drum. Thus, a roll-to-roll (R2R) coating system may provide a high throughput system.

Typically, processes such as physical vapor deposition (physical vapor deposition, PVD) processes, chemical vapor deposition (chemical vapor deposition, CVD) processes, and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, PECVD) processes may be used to deposit thin layers of metal that may be coated onto the flexible substrate. However, the demand for roll-to-roll deposition systems has also experienced a strong increase in the display industry and in the Photovoltaic (PV) industry. For example, the use of touch panel elements, flexible displays, and flexible PV modules has led to an increasing need for depositing suitable layers in roll-to-roll coaters (particularly at low manufacturing costs). However, such devices typically have several layers that are generally fabricated using CVD processes, particularly PECVD processes.

Arranging several CVD, PECVD and/or PVD sources in one or more process chambers requires an excellent and efficient process. Typically, the deposition of complex thin film layer structures is performed in sequence in different R2R coaters, each of which is designed for specific deposition technology needs. However, this concept results in high cost of ownership (costs of ownership, coO) of the manufacturing equipment.

Examples of products made from coated substrates are OLED displays, which have recently received a lot of attention in display applications in view of their faster response time, larger viewing angle, higher contrast ratio, lighter weight, lower power and adaptability to flexible substrates compared to Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs). In addition to the organic materials used in OLEDs, many polymeric materials have been developed for small molecule, flexible organic light emitting diode (flexible organic light emitting diode, FOLED) and polymeric light emitting diode (polymer light emitting diode, PLED) displays. Many of these organic and polymeric materials are flexible to fabricate complex, multi-layer devices on a range of substrates, making them ideal for a variety of transparent multi-color display applications such as flat panel displays (flat panel displays, FPD), electrically pumped organic lasers (electrically pumped organic lasers), and organic optical amplifiers.

Layers in, for example, display devices have evolved over the years into multiple layers, each of which serves a different function. Multiple process chambers may be required to deposit multiple layers onto multiple substrates. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an efficient method and apparatus for processing substrates in a flexible tool platform.

In view of the above, there is a need to provide a vacuum processing system and a method for installing a vacuum processing system that overcome at least some of the problems of the art.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, a vacuum processing system for a flexible substrate and a method of depositing at least two layers on a flexible substrate are provided. Further aspects, advantages and features of the present disclosure may be apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the accompanying drawings.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a vacuum processing system for a flexible substrate is provided. The vacuum processing system includes: a first chamber adapted to house a supply roll for providing a flexible substrate; a second chamber adapted to house a take-up reel for storing the flexible substrate after processing; a substrate transport arrangement comprising one or more guide rollers for guiding a flexible substrate from a first chamber to a second chamber; a maintenance zone between the first chamber and the second chamber, wherein the maintenance zone allows a maintenance access (maintenance access) to or belonging to at least one of the first chamber and the second chamber; and a first process chamber for processing the flexible substrate.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a use of a processing system as described herein for processing a flexible substrate, in particular for depositing a layer stack on a flexible substrate.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of depositing at least two layers on a flexible substrate, in particular using a vacuum processing system as described herein, is provided. A method of depositing at least two layers on a flexible substrate comprising: guiding the flexible substrate over an outer surface of the processing drum; providing a separation gas at least two locations at opposite sides of at least a first deposition source; providing a process gas between at least two locations and exhausting the process gas; and pumping at the at least one vacuum outlet between the first deposition source and the at least one second deposition source.

The disclosure also relates to an apparatus for performing the disclosed method and comprising apparatus components for performing each of the method steps. These method steps may be performed by means of hardware components, by means of a suitably programmed computer, any combination of the two or in any other way. Furthermore, the disclosure also relates to a method of operating the described device. This method comprises method steps for performing each function of the device.

Drawings

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings illustrate only exemplary embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1A shows a schematic perspective view of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein;

FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrate schematic cross-sectional views of vacuum processing systems according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 1D shows a schematic top view of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a process chamber of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein;

fig. 4A and 4B illustrate schematic diagrams of an extender roller arrangement used in accordance with embodiments described herein;

fig. 5A and 5B show schematic cross-sectional views of a substrate guidance control unit according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a process chamber of a vacuum processing system having a gas separation unit according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 7A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a process chamber of a vacuum processing system having a gas separation unit according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 7B illustrates a side view of a gas separation unit of a vacuum processing system and coupled to a processing drum according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic view of a deposition source of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a deposition source and a gas separation unit of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein;

FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate schematic diagrams of a gas separation concept of a gas separation unit according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 11 shows a schematic perspective view of a deposition source of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein;

FIGS. 12A and 12B show schematic diagrams of microwave antennas for deposition sources according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 13 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a portion of a process chamber of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein;

fig. 14 shows a schematic side view of a process drum of a vacuum processing system including a shutter device according to embodiments described herein;

Fig. 15 shows a schematic perspective view of various components of an opening and closing device according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 16 shows a detailed perspective view of an opening and closing device in different positions according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 17 illustrates a plan view of a section of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 18 shows a block diagram illustrating a method for cleaning a process chamber of a vacuum processing system in accordance with embodiments described herein; and

fig. 19 shows a block diagram illustrating a method of depositing at least two layers on a flexible substrate.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments of the disclosure, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the figures. In the following description of the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts. Hereinafter, only differences with respect to the individual embodiments are described. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the disclosure, and not meant as a limitation of the disclosure. Additionally, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used on or in conjunction with other embodiments to yield yet a further embodiment. The description is intended to include such modifications and variations.

Fig. 1A shows a schematic perspective view of a vacuum processing system 100 for processing a substrate according to embodiments described herein. In particular, the vacuum processing system 100 may be adapted to guide and process flexible substrates. For example, the vacuum processing system 100 may be configured for depositing thin films from a plasma phase onto a moving substrate, particularly a flexible substrate.

As exemplarily shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the vacuum processing system 100 can include a first chamber 110, a second chamber 120, a maintenance zone 130, at least one processing chamber (e.g., processing chamber 140 in fig. 1A and 1B), and a channel 150, according to embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein. For example, the first chamber 110 may be an unwind chamber for receiving a supply roll 111 for providing a substrate, in particular a flexible substrate 10. The second chamber 120 may be a winding chamber for accommodating a take-up roll 121 for storing the flexible substrate 10 after processing.

In this disclosure, a "supply roll" is understood to be a roll on which a substrate (e.g., a flexible substrate) to be processed is stored. Accordingly, in this disclosure, a "take-up roll" as described herein may be understood as a roll adapted to receive a processed substrate. Further, it should be noted that the "supply roll" may also be referred to as an "unwinder (un-wind)", and the "take-up roll" may also be referred to as a "rewinder (re-wind)".

In this disclosure, a "flexible substrate" may be characterized as a substrate that is bendable. For example, the flexible substrate may be a foil. In particular, it will be appreciated that embodiments of the processing system as described herein may be used to process any kind of flexible substrate, for example, for manufacturing coatings or electronic devices on flexible substrates. For example, the substrate as described herein may include materials such as PET, HC-PET, PE, PI, PU, taC, one or more metals, paper, combinations thereof, and coated substrates (such as hard-coated PET (e.g., HC-PET, HC-TAC) and the like).

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the vacuum processing system may be configured for a substrate length of 500m or more (e.g., 900m or more, such as 1000 m). The substrate width may be 300mm or more, for example 400mm or more, in particular 1400mm or more. Typically, the substrate thickness may be between 50 μm and 200 μm.

While the embodiments described herein refer to the first chamber as an unwind chamber and the second chamber as a winding chamber, it should be understood that the first chamber referred to herein may be used as a winding chamber with a take-up roll and the second chamber may be used as an unwind chamber with a supply roll.

Depending on the implementation, some or all of the chambers of the vacuum processing system 100 may be adapted for vacuum processing. For example, the processing system may include components and equipment that allow a vacuum to be created or maintained in at least a portion of the processing system, such as a first chamber (e.g., an unwind chamber), at least one processing chamber, and a second chamber (e.g., a wind chamber). According to some embodiments, the deposition system may include a vacuum pump, evacuation piping, vacuum seals, and the like for creating or maintaining a vacuum in at least a portion of the deposition system. In some embodiments, each of the at least one process chamber, winding chamber, and unwinding chamber may include a vacuum generating device and a vacuum maintaining device for generating and maintaining a vacuum in separate individual chambers at the other chamber ports. For example, each chamber may have a separate corresponding vacuum pump or pump station for evacuating the respective region.

According to some embodiments, the chamber of the processing system is adapted to operate under vacuum conditions to form a vacuum-tight enclosure, i.e. a vacuum or even 1 x 10 that can be evacuated to a pressure of about 0.2mbar to 10mbar ^-4 To 1 x 10 ^-2 Vacuum at a pressure of mbar. The different pressure ranges will be considered specifically, at 10 for PVD processes ^-3 In the mbar range and for CVD processes in the mbar range, these processes are carried out in different pressure ranges. In addition, the chamber(s) may be evacuated to have a volume of 1 x 10 ^-6 Background vacuum at pressures of mbar or below. The background pressure refers to the pressure achieved by evacuating the chamber without any inlet of any gas. In contrast, according to embodiments described herein, the maintenance zone disposed between the first chamber 110 and the second chamber 120 is at atmospheric (i.e., ambient air) conditions so that an operator may use the maintenance access.

As exemplarily shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the first chamber 110 may be disposed between the maintenance area 130 and the first process chamber 140A. The maintenance zone 130 may be disposed between the first chamber 110 (e.g., an unwind chamber) and the second chamber 120 (e.g., a winding chamber). Accordingly, the maintenance zone 130 disposed between the first chamber 110 and the second chamber 120 allows maintenance access (e.g., before, after, or during operation of the vacuum processing system 100) to or to the first chamber and/or the second chamber.

In this disclosure, references herein to a "maintenance zone" are to be understood as a zone that allows maintenance of one or more chambers of a processing system. Accordingly, it should be understood that a "maintenance area" may be a service area. For example, the maintenance zone may allow monitoring, controlling, maintaining, cleaning, or replacing components present in one or more of the chambers of the processing system. Furthermore, the term "maintenance area" is understood to mean an area that allows maintenance to be performed by an operator. Hereby, a service area as described herein may allow a service passage belonging to or leading to the chamber. For example, the maintenance zone may allow access to an unwind chamber or a winding chamber as described herein. The maintenance channel may include visual maintenance, access to an electronic unit for control signals or for receiving signals, or physical access. According to some embodiments, the maintenance zone provides atmospheric conditions. In some embodiments, a maintenance zone may allow for control, cleaning, or replacement of components present in one or more of the chambers of the processing system, the maintenance zone allowing access to them. In some embodiments, the maintenance zone may provide access to control elements, such as switches, buttons, control dials, monitors, actuators, modulators, and the like, for affecting processes in the chambers of the processing system. In one example, the maintenance zone may have a switch for terminating the winding or unwinding process. In other or further embodiments, the maintenance zone may have control elements for controlling environmental conditions (such as temperature, pressure, humidity and the like) in the first chamber and/or the second chamber. According to an embodiment, the maintenance zone provides atmospheric conditions.

Referring to fig. 1B, according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, at least one process chamber (e.g., process chamber 140 in fig. 1B), and in particular first process chamber 140A, may be disposed adjacent to first chamber 110 (e.g., unwind chamber). At least one of the processing chambers may be provided with a processing drum 142 for guiding the substrate during a process performed in the processing chamber. The processing drum 142 may be adapted to guide the flexible substrate 10 through one or more processing components present in the processing chamber, such as one or more deposition sources. According to some embodiments, the process drum 142 may be configured to be heated and/or cooled to a temperature of about-20 ℃ to 400 ℃. Accordingly, the processing drum may include a heating channel and/or a cooling channel.

In this disclosure, a "processing chamber" as described herein is understood to be a chamber in which processing occurs. For example, in a process chamber, a deposition process may be performed to deposit material on a substrate. However, the process chamber may also be adapted for alternative or additional processing, as will be explained in detail below.

According to some embodiments, at least one processing chamber may house processing components. In the present disclosure, a "processing component" may be understood as a component for depositing material on a substrate and/or for heating a substrate and/or for cooling a substrate and/or for pre-processing a substrate and/or for etching a substrate or a layer disposed on a substrate and/or for cleaning a substrate and similar processes. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the processing chamber may include a deposition source for depositing material on the substrate, a heating device (such as a heating lamp, e.g., an infrared lamp), a cooling channel in the processing drum, a cleaning device, a pretreatment device (such as a device for preparing the substrate for processing performed at a later stage, e.g., by plasma pretreatment, etching device, and the like). According to some embodiments, a pre-treatment plasma source (e.g., an RF plasma source) may be provided to treat a substrate using a plasma. For example, pretreatment with plasma may provide surface modification of the substrate surface to enhance film adhesion of films deposited thereon, or may otherwise modify the substrate morphology to improve its processing. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the process chamber as described herein may be a CVD chamber, a PVD chamber, a PECVD chamber, an etch chamber, or any other desired process chamber.

Referring exemplarily to fig. 1B, according to an embodiment of a processing system as described herein, a substrate (e.g., flexible substrate 10) may be directed along a substrate transport direction 108 from a supply roll 111 in a first chamber 110 (e.g., an unwind chamber) to a processing roll 142 of a first processing chamber 140A, further through a channel 150 and to a take-up roll 121 in a second chamber 120 (e.g., a wind-up chamber). As exemplarily shown in fig. 1B, an arrangement of guide rollers 104 may be provided for guiding the flexible substrate from the supply roll 111 in the unwinding chamber through at least one processing region in the processing chamber 140 to the take-up roll 121 in the winding chamber without contacting the front surface of the flexible substrate. During operation, the flexible substrate may be moved in a substrate transport direction into at least one processing region where, for example, a plasma deposition source may be arranged for delivering deposition gases into the plasma phase such that, for example, a thin film may be deposited from the plasma phase onto the moving substrate. According to embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, one or more guiding rollers of the transport arrangement may be heated. In particular, the guide rollers mounted prior to the position at which the substrate is guided by the processing rollers through the one or more processing regions may be configured to heat. Accordingly, moisture reduction from the substrate can be achieved by using a heated guide roller installed before the processing region. Furthermore, according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the processing system may be provided with a trap (not shown) (e.g., a cold trap) for collecting the degassing vapor from the substrate, for example, by using heated guide rollers. In particular, a trap for collecting deaerated vapor from the substrate may be arranged at a position opposite the substrate surface from which moisture may evaporate, for example, due to the heating of the substrate by heated rollers as described herein.

In this disclosure, a "roll" or "roller" may be understood as a device that provides a surface with which a substrate (or portion of a substrate) may be contacted during the presence of the substrate in a processing system. At least a portion of a "roll" or "roller" referred to herein may comprise a circular shape for contacting a substrate to be processed or processed. In some embodiments, a "roll" or "roller" may have a substantially cylindrical shape. The substantially cylindrical shape may be formed about a straight longitudinal axis, or may be formed about a curved longitudinal axis. According to some embodiments, a "roll" or "roller" as described herein may be adapted to be in contact with the flexible substrate. For example, reference herein to a "roll" or "roller" may be: a guide roller adapted to guide the substrate as it is processed (such as during a deposition process) or as it is present in the processing system; a spreader roll adapted to provide a defined tension to a substrate to be coated; a deflection roller for deflecting the substrate according to a defined travel path; a process roller, such as a process roller, for supporting the substrate during processing, e.g., a coating roller or a coating roller; an adjusting roller; supplying a roll; take-up rolls and the like. A "roll" or "roller" as described herein may comprise metal. In one embodiment, the surface of the roller device to be in contact with the substrate may be adapted to the respective substrate to be coated. Further, it will be appreciated that according to some implementations, the rollers as described herein may be mounted to low friction roller bearings, particularly in a dual bearing roller configuration. Hereby, the roll parallelism of the transport arrangement as described herein can be achieved and lateral substrate "drift" during substrate transport can be eliminated.

In some embodiments, the guide rollers 104 that guide the flexible substrate 10 between chambers of the processing system 100 as described herein may also be configured for tension measurement. According to typical embodiments of the embodiments described herein, at least one tension measuring roller may be provided in the processing system. Advantageously, two tension measuring rollers may be provided on both sides of the process drum 142, which allows tension measurement on the winding side and unwinding side of the process drum. In particular, the tension measuring roller may be configured to measure the tension of the flexible substrate. Hereby, the substrate transport may be better controlled, the pressure of the substrate on the processing drum may be controlled, and/or damage to the substrate may be reduced or avoided.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the supply and take-up rolls, the guide rolls for guiding the substrate, the processing rollers, and other rolls or elements in the processing system that are in contact with the flexible substrate are positioned and/or arranged in the processing system such that only the backside of the flexible substrate, i.e. the side that is not processed (or not processed) in the processing system, is contacted. Accordingly, there is no roller-based substrate front surface contact when unwinding, processing, rewinding, tensioning or guiding the substrate. This reduces contamination on the treated substrate surface as well as on the substrate surface to be treated. Hereby, the risk of damage to the substrate, especially on the treated surface, is reduced.

According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the guide roller 104 for guiding the flexible substrate may have a minimum wrap angle of 13 °, in particular 15 °, or more. Accordingly, the minimum wrap angle is related to the fact that: when the supply roll 111 and the take-up roll 121 are empty or filled with substrate, respectively, winding (enlacent) varies depending on and between the two operating conditions.

According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the processing drum 142 may be rotated relative to a longitudinal axis, in particular a rotational axis 143 (as exemplarily shown in fig. 1C) of the processing drum 142. The processing drum may have a curved outer surface for guiding the substrate along the curved outer surface. Accordingly, the flexible substrate 10 may be transported and processed by moving over the rotating processing drum 142. According to an embodiment, the processing of the flexible substrate 10 may be accomplished on portions of the flexible substrate 10 that are positionable onto the processing drum 142, such as, but not limited to, by performing a coating, plating, or lamination process. According to some embodiments, the wrap angle of the substrate around the processing drum 142 may be less than 180 °, particularly less than 170 °, more particularly less than 150 °.

According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the sum of the wrap angles of all rolls present in the processing system may be between 180 ° and 540 °, for example between 180 ° and 360 °. In some embodiments, for example, if a second processing drum is provided (as exemplarily shown in fig. 2), the sum of the wrap angles of all rolls (except the supply roll and the take-up roll) present in the deposition system may be equal to or less than 540 °. In some embodiments, the sum of the wrap angles of all rolls (except the supply roll and the take-up roll) present in the deposition system may be less than 360 °. Typically, the number of guide rollers is 2 or more and 10 or less, especially when it is desired to have a low total wrap angle (such as a wrap angle below 360 °).

For example, the guide rollers and/or the supply rolls and/or the take-up rolls and/or the processing rolls may have corresponding surfaces and geometries for guiding, unwinding or winding the flexible substrate.

Referring exemplarily to fig. 1A and 1B, according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the channel 150 may be configured for connecting the first processing chamber 140A with the second chamber 120 (e.g., a winding chamber), wherein the processed substrate may be wound on the take-up roll 121. For example, the channel 150 may be disposed above the first chamber 110 and/or the second chamber 120. In other embodiments, the channel may be formed as a tunnel located below the first chamber 110 and/or the second chamber 120. The channel 150 (or tunnel) may be used to guide the substrate from the first processing chamber 140A to the second chamber 120 (e.g., a winding chamber). According to some embodiments, the channels or tunnels may be adapted to guide the substrate under vacuum conditions, for example by providing corresponding seals, pumps, gates and the like. In some embodiments, the channels may be at atmospheric conditions during operation of the deposition system. Operating the tunnel at atmospheric conditions can save cost and labor. According to some embodiments, gates may be provided in the channels, such as one gap gate 180 at the point where the substrate enters the channel from the process chamber and one gap gate 180 at the point where the substrate exits the channel to the winding chamber.

Additionally or alternatively, the tunnel or channel may be adapted to create and/or maintain a vacuum therein. However, according to some embodiments, a channel or tunnel may be understood as a portion of a processing chamber. For example, the tunnel may not be separated from the process chamber by a gate. Hereby, the tunnel may for example be provided with the same vacuum as is present in one or both of the process chambers. In one example, the tunnel may provide vacuum conditions created and maintained by the same vacuum generating device as the one or both process chambers.

In some embodiments, the tunnel or channel may be adapted to operate under vacuum conditions and/or optionally a controlled inert atmosphere. Alternatively, the tunnel or passageway may be operated at atmospheric or ambient conditions.

In some embodiments, a channel or tunnel provided for guiding a substrate from one chamber to another chamber of the deposition system may be equipped with an adaptation device for providing measurement devices (such as temperature sensors, pressure sensors, tension sensors for the substrate), vision control devices, substrate control devices, and the like.

In some embodiments, the passageway (or tunnel), the first chamber, and the second chamber enclose a maintenance area. In one example, the channel may be provided in, by, or as a topside cover that extends over the service area. In another example, as mentioned above, the access may be provided in, by, or as a bottom side tunnel that extends below the maintenance area.

According to some embodiments, the at least one processing chamber may be adapted to allow material to be deposited on the substrate in a bottom-up (bottom-up) direction or horizontally. For example, a processing system as described herein may be used as a deposition system that may be provided with a bottom-up deposition source such that particle generation on the substrate is avoided. In the present disclosure, a "bottom-up deposition source" may be understood as a configuration in which the deposition source is disposed at the height of the rotation axis 143 of the processing drum 142 or below the rotation axis 143, as exemplarily shown in fig. 1C.

Referring exemplarily to fig. 1B and 1C, the processing chamber 140 may include an inclined flange 145 according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein. In some embodiments, the process chamber 140 may be divided into at least two portions that are connected by an angled flange 145 and when assembled form the process chamber 140. As exemplarily shown in fig. 1B, the first portion 146 of the processing chamber 140 may be connected to the second portion 147 of the processing chamber 140 by means of an inclined flange 145, in particular with respect to the vertical. The first portion 146 of the process chamber 140 may house, at least in part, a plurality of process components disposed about the process drum 142. For example, fig. 1C shows one of the one or more processing components 141, such as a deposition source having two additional deposition sources indicated by dashed lines. According to some embodiments, a processing component (e.g., a deposition source) may be mounted to a driver located on the atmospheric side of the processing chamber in order to control and adjust the position of the processing component in the processing chamber. For example, the driver may be a linear actuator configured to provide a displacement (strike) of up to 30 mm.

It will be appreciated that two or more processing components (e.g., deposition sources) may be provided according to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein. For example, four, five, six, or even more (such as 8, 10, or 12) processing components (e.g., deposition sources) may be provided. The processing parts may be disposed in the respective processing regions, and the substrate supported by the processing drum 142 may be processed in the respective processing regions.

According to embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the first portion 146 of the process chamber 140 may be adapted such that a processing component (such as a deposition source or tool) may be externally attached to the first portion 146. The second portion 147 of the process chamber 140 may be configured to be connectable to the channel 150, such as by being in communication with the channel 150, or even by being part of the channel (e.g., as shown in fig. 1C).

According to some embodiments described herein, the sloped flange 145 of the processing chamber 140 may provide a separation wall within the processing chamber for separating a processing region in the processing chamber. For example, the angled flange 145 shown in the figures may indicate a vacuum sealed separating wall within the process chamber 140. In one example, the vacuum sealed separation wall within the first process chamber 140A may provide a gate and the like for the substrate to pass therethrough. By providing a separating wall within the processing chamber 140, the risk of contamination may be reduced, particularly when separating the area of the processing chamber where deposition is occurring from the area of the processing chamber where only the substrate is directed or where pre-or post-processing is performed.

The angled flange 145 of the process chamber 140 may allow for the placement of a processing component 141 (e.g., a deposition source) beneath a substrate to be processed. Thus, where the deposition process is performed in a processing chamber, deposition may be performed from below the substrate rather than from above the substrate. In some embodiments, deposition may be performed from a horizontal direction to the substrate, as exemplarily shown in fig. 1C. According to some embodiments, the deposition source may be disposed at the lower half of the processing drum 142. Accordingly, downward deposition (i.e., using a source orientation above the horizontal centerline of the processing drum 142 or the rotational axis 143 of the processing drum 142) is advantageously not used with a processing system according to embodiments described herein. In particular, according to embodiments described herein, the arrangement of deposition sources may be provided at the level of the axis of rotation 143 of the processing drum 142 or below the level of the axis of rotation 143. Accordingly, the generated particles that may contaminate the substrate and process remain in the deposition source due to gravity, so that generation of undesired particles on the substrate and/or within the deposition layer can be avoided.

Accordingly, referring illustratively to fig. 1B and 1C, the profile of the processing chamber 140 may be adapted for bottom-up placement of processing components (e.g., deposition sources) according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein. For example, the outer shape of the processing chamber 140 may have a segmented shape in consideration of the position of each processing component disposed in the processing chamber 140. In some embodiments, the profile of the chamber may have a curved or polygonal shape, as exemplarily shown in fig. 1B and 1C.

According to some embodiments, the processing chamber may comprise one or more support means for supporting or holding the processing component in the processing chamber. In some embodiments, the support means may be adapted to hold the processing component in a fixed position for a predetermined time interval and within a predetermined tolerance. In one example, the processing chamber may include support means for supporting or holding the above-described processing components, such as a deposition source for depositing material on a substrate, heating means (such as a heating lamp, e.g., an infrared lamp), cleaning means, and preprocessing means (such as means for preparing a substrate for processing performed at a later stage). In some embodiments, the support device may include a clamping device, a table, a securing device, a carrier, a fastener, an attachment device, a joint device, and the like.

According to further embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a process chamber of a deposition system may have a compartment or opening, wherein a process component (such as a deposition source or a deposition station with a deposition source) may be positioned in the respective opening or the respective compartment such that different kinds of deposition sources are separated within the process chamber, as exemplarily described in more detail later with reference to fig. 6.

Fig. 1C shows a more detailed view of the processing system 100 as schematically shown in fig. 1B. As exemplarily shown in fig. 1C, in some embodiments, the flexible substrate 10 may be directed through a slit or opening in a wall of a chamber of a separation processing system, for example, a slit or opening in a separation wall 122 between the first chamber 110 and the processing chamber 140. For example, the slit may be adapted to guide the substrate from one vacuum chamber to another. In other embodiments, the slit or opening may include a sealing element to at least substantially separate the pressure conditions of the two chambers joined by the slit. For example, if the chambers joined by the slits or openings provide different pressure conditions, the slits or openings in the wall are designed so as to maintain the respective pressure in the chambers.

According to embodiments described herein, at least one gap gate (e.g., gap gate 180) or load lock valve for separating the first chamber 110 or unwind chamber from the process chamber 140 is provided at the separation wall 122, as exemplarily shown in fig. 1C. At least one gap gate may be configured such that the flexible substrate may move therethrough, and the gap gate may be opened and closed to provide a vacuum seal. According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the gap gate 180 may include rollers for guiding the substrate (e.g., redirecting the substrate movement at an angle of 10 ° or more). Furthermore, an inflatable seal may be provided, which may be pressed against the roller of the gap gate. Accordingly, the gap gate may be closed by inflating the seal, and the first chamber 110 and the process chamber 140 are separated from each other in a vacuum-tight manner. Accordingly, for example, the first chamber 110 may be vented while the process chamber 140 may be maintained under a technical vacuum.

According to another alternative embodiment, the gap gate or the load lock valve may also be provided without rollers. The inflatable seal may press the substrate against the flat sealing surface. However, other means for selectively opening and closing the gap gate may also be utilized, wherein the opening and closing (i.e., with the substrate path open and vacuum sealing) may be performed at the same time as the substrate insertion. The gap gate for closing the vacuum seal when a substrate is inserted allows a particularly easy replacement of the substrate, since the substrate from a new roll can be attached to the substrate from a previous roll.

Although a gap, opening, or gap gate is described with respect to guiding a flexible substrate from a first chamber to a processing chamber, a gap, opening, or gap gate as described herein may also be used between other portions of a processing system, such as between processing chamber 140 and channel 150, between channel 150 and second chamber 120, and/or between another processing chamber (e.g., second processing chamber 240, as shown in fig. 2) and second chamber 120.

As exemplarily indicated by the dashed lines in the first chamber 110 and the second chamber 120 in fig. 1C, the vacuum processing system 100 may, according to some embodiments, comprise an intercalation (inter) module, for example in case the flexible substrate 10 to be processed is provided on the supply roll 111 together with the intercalation 11. Accordingly, the interposition may be provided between adjacent layers of the flexible substrate, so that direct contact of one layer of the flexible substrate with an adjacent layer of the flexible substrate on the supply roll 111 may be avoided. For example, the unwinding chamber may be equipped with a first intercalation module for tightening the intercalation provided for protecting the substrate on the supply roll 111. The interposer module may include some interposer guide rollers 107 for guiding the interposers to the interposer take-up roll 117 when unwinding the flexible substrate with interposers from the supply roll 111. Accordingly, the winding chamber may also include an intercalation module including an intercalation guiding roller 107 for guiding the intercalation 11 supplied from the intercalation supply roll 127 to the take-up roll 121. Accordingly, the second intercalation module may provide intercalation which is wound on the take-up roll 121 together with the processed substrate for protecting the processed substrate on the take-up roll 121. It will be appreciated that the first and second chambers 110, 120 may be provided with holding and/or receiving means for mounting the interposer take-up roll 117 and the interposer supply roll 127, respectively, and holding and/or receiving means for mounting corresponding interposer guide rolls.

Fig. 1D shows a schematic top view of the processing system 100 as shown in fig. 1C. In the example of fig. 1C and 1D, the operator 170 is replacing the take-up roll 121 of the second chamber 120 through the maintenance zone 130. It will be noted that the take-up roll 121 is shown in phantom at different positions. According to some embodiments, the control signal may inform the operator 170 that the take-up roll 121 in the second chamber 120 needs to be replaced. As can be seen in fig. 1C and 1D, the maintenance area 130 provides good accessibility for replacing the tightening reel 121.

According to some embodiments, as can be seen in fig. 1D, the processing system as described herein may allow for the replacement of components in the processing system in an easy and simple manner. On the right side of fig. 1D, a process chamber 140 is shown with a process drum 142 (dashed line). An operator, indicated by reference numeral 175 in fig. 1D, may access the processing component 141, such as access to a deposition source. According to some embodiments, one or more of the processing components 141 may be combined together such that the one or more processing components may be accessed as a unit or group (e.g., a group formed by a first portion of the processing chamber, as explained above with respect to the angled flange). According to other embodiments, individual processing components may be accessed one by one. The processing component 141 may be replaced, for example, in the event that the processing component is worn or consumed, or if the processing should change. For example, a processing system according to embodiments described herein may provide a choice to vary the substrate width. Easy access and easy replacement of processing components may facilitate efficient use of the processing system for different processing types or different substrates.

According to some embodiments, maintenance of the supply and take-up rolls in the form of removing, replacing, or providing the supply or take-up rolls (i.e., maintenance tasks in which one or more of the winding chambers are vented and/or opened) may be performed while the substrate is retained in one or more of the processing chambers. According to some embodiments, the processing action of the processing system is stopped and the substrate transport rollers are deactivated. The substrate may then be clamped therein by a vacuum sealing valve or gap gate between the process chamber and the winding/unwinding chamber, for example by an inflatable seal between the process chamber and the winding/unwinding chamber. In some embodiments, the substrate is cut in the winding/unwinding chamber after the substrate is clamped between the processing chamber and the winding/unwinding chamber. The supply roll and/or the take-up roll are removed and/or replaced. The newly added substrate provided by the supply roll may be secured (such as adhered or glued) to the cut end of the substrate in the unwind chamber. In this case, one or more of the winding chambers are vented and/or opened while one or more of the processing chambers are maintained under vacuum, and maintenance is performed in the winding/unwinding chambers while the vacuum is maintained in other parts of the processing system.

According to some embodiments, the maintenance zone 130 may be adapted to typical maintenance steps of the first chamber, the second chamber and/or even the tunnel above the first chamber and/or the second chamber. For example, the maintenance area 130 may be sized to fit the body type of the operator 170, as exemplarily shown in fig. 1C. Further, the size of the maintenance area 130 may be selected such that an operator may remove the supply roll and/or tighten the roll from the first and second chambers. According to some embodiments, the maintenance zone may have a length 171 of more than 1m (as can be seen in fig. 1D). According to some embodiments, the maintenance zone may have a length 171 typically between about 1m and about 3m, more typically between about 1.5m and about 2.5m, and even more typically between about 1.5m and about 2 m. Furthermore, the maintenance zone may have a height 172 of more than 1.7m (as can be seen in fig. 1C). According to some embodiments, the maintenance zone may have a height 172 typically between about 1.7m and about 3m, more typically between about 2m and about 3m, and even more typically between about 2m and 2.5 m. Furthermore, the maintenance area 130 may have a depth 173 (as can be seen in fig. 1D) that depends on the substrate width. In some embodiments, the depth 173 of the maintenance zone 130 may be greater than 0.7m. According to some embodiments, the maintenance zone may have a depth 173 typically between about 1.0m and about 4.0m, more typically between about 2m and about 3.5m, and even more typically between about 2m and about 3 m.

As indicated by the cinch roll with the dashed line in position 121-1 in fig. 1D, the maintenance area allows operator 170 to process the cinch roll removed from second chamber 120. According to some embodiments, the size of the maintenance zone 130 may be a compromise between easy access to the chamber for maintenance purposes and the available space of the deposition system. In some embodiments, the guide roller system, and in particular the number of guide rollers in a deposition system as described herein, is adapted to the size of the maintenance area.

In some embodiments, the maintenance zone 130 allows for maintenance access to or belonging to at least one of the first chamber 110 and the second chamber 120 during operation, for example, when the process chamber 140 is evacuated to a pressure of 10mbar or less. For example, the maintenance access may be provided during operation in the form of service or activation control elements, or in the form of visual controls or the like. However, it will be appreciated that maintenance of the supply roll 111 and the take-up roll 121 in the form of removing, replacing, or providing the supply roll 111 or take-up roll 121 (i.e., maintenance tasks in which one or more of the winding/unwinding chambers are vented and/or opened) cannot be performed during operation of the processing system (i.e., processing actions). However, when the one or more process chambers that may be vented and/or opened for maintenance access are evacuated to a pressure of, for example, 10mbar or less, the maintenance zone is also maintained at atmospheric pressure, which allows for maintenance access for the maintenance of the supply roll 111 or the take-up roll 121 in the form of removal, replacement or provision of the supply roll and take-up roll and/or for cleaning the interior of one or more of the vacuum chambers adjacent to the maintenance zone 130.

In some embodiments, the service area 130 is provided and configured such that the first chamber 110 and/or the second chamber 120 are accessible from a radial direction of the first chamber 110 and from a radial direction of the second chamber 120, respectively. The service area 130 allows access to the first chamber 110 and/or the second chamber 120 from the radial direction of the supply roll 111 and the take-up roll 121, respectively. In one embodiment, the radial direction of the chamber may correspond to the radial direction of one of the supply roll or the take-up roll. According to some embodiments, the maintenance zone allows access to the first chamber and/or to the second chamber from the radial direction of the winding axis of the supply reel and of the take-up reel, respectively. In particular, the service area may allow for accessing a first chamber (e.g., a vacuum chamber with a supply roll) (see e.g., 110 in fig. 1B) and a second chamber (e.g., a vacuum chamber with a take-up roll) (see e.g., 120 in fig. 1B) from respective first and second radial sides, wherein the first and second radial sides face each other. For example, the supply roll may be removed radially towards the take-up reel and vice versa.

According to embodiments described herein, the maintenance area allows for maintenance of the access. The maintenance channel may include visual maintenance (such as visual control), access to an electronic unit for control signals or receiving signals, or physical access. In one example, the maintenance access may be provided by a door, window, or opening that may be closed by, for example, a lid. According to some embodiments, the maintenance access may be provided by a chamber wall, such as a window in a wall of the winding or unwinding chamber.

In some embodiments, the maintenance zone may provide maintenance access through a window in the chamber wall, as indicated by inspection window 134 represented by two horizontal lines in fig. 1C. The inspection window, illustratively shown in the wall of the second chamber 120, may be disposed at a height that allows the substrate to be viewed (e.g., when the substrate is wound on a take-up reel or when the substrate is unwound from a supply reel). According to some embodiments, the inspection window may have a size for viewing the entire width of the flexible substrate, such as a width typically between about 1m and about 3m, more typically between about 1.2m and about 2.5m, and to more typically between about 1.4m and about 2.4 m. According to other embodiments, the inspection window may have a size for viewing the entire winding and/or unwinding process, for example, by allowing a complete supply roll and/or a complete take-up roll to be seen. In some embodiments, the inspection window of the maintenance area may be composed of several inspection ports that together enable an operator to impress a process in the chamber.

According to some embodiments, the maintenance zone may provide access to the first chamber and/or the second chamber, for example in the form of a door in the chamber wall. One or more doors may be adapted to access components in the first chamber and/or the second chamber, for example, for accessing a supply roll or take-up roll. In some embodiments, the door may include an inspection window of the chamber. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the door may allow an operator to enter the first chamber and/or the second chamber.

In some embodiments, the lighting device may be disposed in the first chamber and/or the second chamber. In particular, the illumination device may be arranged in the first chamber and/or the second chamber such that the substrate to be processed or the processed substrate may be illuminated from one side, such as the processed side or the unprocessed side (or the side to be processed or the unprocessed side). For example, the illumination device may facilitate inspection and visual control of the substrate, which may be performed through the maintenance area, and in particular through a window in the chamber wall (such as inspection window 134), in the manner described above. In one embodiment, the lighting device is a lamp.

In fig. 1D, a schematic diagram of a loading and unloading system 160 for supply roll 111 and take-up roll 121 is shown. According to some embodiments, an integrated loading and unloading system may be provided for a processing system as described herein. In some embodiments, the loading and unloading system may include a table 190 and an in/out device for tightening the roll 121 and/or the supply roll 111. In the example shown in fig. 1D, removal of the take-up roll 121 is shown. For example, a move-in/out device may be inserted into the first chamber 110 by an operator 170 to grip the take-up roll 121 to be replaced or removed. The take-up reel holder is retractable from the first chamber 110 and the take-up reel 121 is removable from the second chamber 120. In one example, the removal device may include a clamping device for clamping the take-up roll at both ends of the take-up roll to remove the take-up roll from the roll support (e.g., the roll support may be a rotatable shaft). According to some embodiments, the in/out device may be adapted such that the take-up reel may be removed from the second chamber without contacting the substrate wound on the take-up reel.

As can be seen in fig. 1D, when the take-up roll 121 is removed from the second chamber 120, the take-up roll 121 is loaded onto a table 190 of the substrate processing system at location 121-1 in the maintenance area 130. The table 190 may be a lift table, and in particular a center lift table. Operator 170 may move within maintenance area 130 to move table 190 (e.g., at location 121-1) with the take-up reel thereon. Work table 190 may then be removed from service area 130 to bring the take-up roll out of service area 130 at location 121-2. Thus, the operator 170 can move the tightening reel in an easy and simple manner.

According to some embodiments, the substrate processing system may include an alternative to a platen. For example, a gripping tool may be used to move the tightening reel out of the service area. In further embodiments, the take-up reel may be carried by a shaft, support, or similar member, allowing the operator to handle the take-up reel. According to some embodiments, an alternative to a lift table may be used where a tunnel extending below the maintenance area 130 is used instead of the channel 150 extending above the maintenance area 130.

Generally, although only the process of changing the take-up reel is described, the maintenance area also provides good accessibility for substrate feed-in and feed-out between coating processes. Thus, the supply roll 111 may also be replaced in the manner shown in FIG. 1D.

In some embodiments, the lift table may form a central lift table for loading and unloading substrates into and from the deposition system. The work table may include a substrate support for holding the take-up or supply roll together with the substrate. According to some embodiments, the lift table is movable between at least an upper position and a lower position. The substrate arranged in the substrate support or on the take-up reel on the substrate support may be moved out of the maintenance zone in a lower position of the lift table. As the substrate and lift table move out of the maintenance area (as indicated by the take-up reel at location 121-2), the take-up reel together with the substrate may be further transported by a crane (such as an in-house crane or overhead crane) or may be lifted to a transport vehicle, for example by a crane (such as a gantry crane or similar crane as part of a processing system).

By using a loading and unloading system as described herein, movable unwinders and rewinders (such as winding and unwinding devices present in the first and second chambers during processing) are not used in deposition systems according to embodiments described herein. Tools for moving and gripping the rollers may be introduced from the service area into the first chamber and the second chamber. According to further embodiments, the substrate processing system may include an integrated gantry crane for lifting rollers to be removed from the chamber, for example, where the processing system uses a tunnel to transport the substrate within the processing system.

However, by using a processing system having a design with a channel above the maintenance area, the overhead crane is not used to remove the substrate from the deposition system according to embodiments described herein, which saves cost and space for a user of the deposition system. Thus, a treatment system according to embodiments described herein may also be used in smaller (or lower) factory buildings than systems known in the art. Moreover, the deposition system does not have high environmental demands without the use of overhead cranes.

It will be appreciated that when delivering a new supply roll or take up a roll to the chamber, the process of removing a roll from the chamber as described above may also be performed in the reverse order.

According to some embodiments, the processing system may comprise a control unit for controlling parameters in the vacuum processing system. For example, the control unit may be a controller or control interface disposed outside of a chamber of the processing system. In some embodiments, the control unit may be connected to sensors in separate chambers of the processing system and/or may be connected to deposition sources, supply rolls, take-up rolls, and the like. Accordingly, the control unit may be able to calculate the desired measurement in the processing system. For example, the control unit may indicate when a replacement of a supply roll or a take-up roll needs to be performed (e.g., via a maintenance zone). The control unit is also capable of generating an alarm in case of a component failure in the deposition system.

According to some embodiments, a processing system as described herein may have a modular design. For example, the processing system as exemplarily shown in fig. 1A to 1D may be adapted such that the second processing chamber may be connected, e.g. adjacent to the first chamber. Accordingly, the processing system may be provided with a flange or connection base allowing to expand the processing system by connecting further chambers to the processing system. For example, the second chamber 120 or winding chamber may include connectors and similar components for adjacently mounting the second process chamber 240 to the second chamber or winding chamber, as exemplarily shown in fig. 2. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that additional chambers may be provided for extending the operating range of the processing system. Accordingly, the modular design of the processing system as described herein allows the size of the base shape to be adapted so that it is compatible with the needs and requirements of the user (e.g., space requirements in a factory).

According to some embodiments of the processing system, the first processing chamber 140A may be disposed adjacent to the first chamber 110 or the unwind chamber, while the second processing chamber 240 may be disposed adjacent to the second chamber 120 or the winding chamber. In particular, the second process chamber 240 may be positioned such that the second chamber 120 is disposed between the maintenance zone 130 and the second process chamber 240, as exemplarily shown in fig. 2.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the flexible substrate 10 to be processed is unwound in an unwinding chamber or first chamber 110. The flexible substrate 10 is guided to the first processing chamber 140A of the processing system via guide rollers (e.g., guide rollers 104). In order to process the flexible substrate 10 in the first process chamber 140A, the substrate may be guided by the process rollers 142. The processing drum 142 may be rotatable. The first process chamber 140A may include a process component 141 through which the substrate is guided while being guided by a process roller 142. For example, the processing component 141 may include at least one deposition source. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, only one deposition source is shown in the first process chamber 140A, while the other deposition sources of the first process chamber are shown in phantom.

Although in the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the first chamber 110 is described as an unwinding chamber and the second chamber 120 is described as a winding chamber, the deposition system according to embodiments described herein is not limited to this arrangement. In alternative embodiments, the first chamber 110 may be a winding chamber and the second chamber may be an unwinding chamber.

According to some embodiments, the second process chamber 240 may be configured similarly to the first process chamber 140 as described herein. Accordingly, the second process chamber 240 may include a second process roller 242 having a second axis of rotation 243 and one or more second process components 241, as exemplarily shown in fig. 2. It will be appreciated that the second processing chamber may include some or all of the components as described with respect to the first processing chamber as described herein. Accordingly, the second process chamber 240 may include a sloped flange, a first portion, and a second portion, which have all of the features and advantages as described with respect to the first process chamber 140A.

As can be seen from fig. 2, the processing system according to embodiments described herein provides the possibility to assemble the processing system in a modular manner. For example, the processing system may be adapted to the particular requirements of the process to be performed, such as by installing an additional second processing chamber (e.g., second processing chamber 240) to the processing system 100 as described above with reference to fig. 1A-1D. Accordingly, more different processes may be combined within the processing system, for example, by adding a second processing chamber, or by changing processing components in a processing chamber of the processing system (which provides high flexibility and variability relative to processes executable by a processing system as described herein).

After processing the substrate, the flexible substrate 10 is guided through the channel 150, and the channel 150 may be disposed above a winding chamber (e.g., the second chamber 120), a maintenance area 130, and an unwinding chamber (e.g., the first chamber 110). In some embodiments, the channel 150 may be part of a topside lid or may be provided as a tunnel under the service area and the first and second chambers. According to some embodiments, the tunnel may include one or more gates that may be capable of separating the pressure conditions in the first process chamber 140A from the second process chamber 240 of the vacuum processing system 100. In some embodiments, a gap gate 180 is provided at each pass from one chamber to the other chamber in the vacuum processing system 100, such as between the unwind chamber and the first process chamber, between the first process chamber and the channel, between the channel and the second process chamber, and between the second process chamber and the winding chamber. In particular, one or more gap gates 180 may be configured as exemplarily described in detail with respect to fig. 1C. After the flexible substrate 10 has passed through the channel 150, the flexible substrate 10 is guided (e.g., by one or more guide rollers 104) to the second process chamber 240. According to some embodiments, the second process chamber 240 may be designed as the first process chamber 140A, or as the process chamber described above with reference to fig. 1A-1D. For example, the second process chamber may include a process roller 242 and one or more process components 241 (such as deposition sources). In one example, the deposition source of the second process chamber 240 may be disposed at the level of the centerline or axis of rotation 243 of the process roller 242 or below the level of the centerline or axis of rotation 243. The substrate may be guided through the processing part 241 by the processing roller 242. In the case where the processing component 241 in the second processing chamber 240 is a deposition source, one or more additional layers of deposition material may be coated on the substrate. According to some embodiments, the second processing chamber provides additional or complementary components to the layer deposited on the substrate in the first processing chamber.

After processing the flexible substrate 10 in the second processing chamber 240, the substrate may be directed to the second chamber 120 or a winding chamber, wherein the processed substrate is wound on the take-up reel 121 to store the processed substrate. It will be appreciated that in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 2 as well, the first chamber 110 and/or the second chamber 120 may be accessed through the maintenance area 130 to maintain the first chamber and/or the second chamber, as described in detail above with reference to fig. 1C and 1D.

According to some embodiments, the wrap angle of a deposition system having two process chambers may be less than 540 °. As explained above, rolls (including guide rolls, but not supply rolls and take-up rolls) in a deposition system having two process chambers according to embodiments described herein may be arranged such that the processed substrate surface is not touched by the rolls.

Referring exemplarily to fig. 2, according to some embodiments, the processing chamber(s) of a vacuum processing system as described herein may be formed so as to provide a passage for a substrate from a processing chamber to an adjacent chamber (such as a winding chamber) or another processing chamber. For example, the first and/or second process chambers 140A, 240 may provide first and/or second arm extensions 140E, 240E to provide a channel for substrates in a vacuum processing system. According to some embodiments described herein, the channel is thus provided by the process chamber(s) and the extension(s) thereof. In other embodiments, only one process chamber may be equipped with an extension for the channel. According to some embodiments described herein, the channel is thereby disposed above the first (vacuum) chamber and the second (vacuum) chamber.

It will be appreciated that the processing system as described herein is formed for a common platform for various processes and PVD processes such as evaporation or sputtering or CVD processes such as PECVD processes or tungsten (Wolfram) chemical vapor deposition processes (Wolfram Chemical Vapor Deposition process, WCVD), which may be combined as the substrate moves through the processing system. For example, a processing system as described herein may be used to perform a silane deposition process. It should be noted that different PECVD processes may be combined and used, for example, for TFT or flexible TFT fabrication, thin film barrier deposition, more particularly for thin film ultra high barrier layers.

Accordingly, the deposition system as described herein may accordingly be provided with a modular host design with "Single Drum (SD)" (embodiment described in fig. 1A-1D) and "Double Drum (DD)" (embodiment described in fig. 2) options to achieve high flexibility. The modular design also provides flexibility over a variety of sources. For example, multiple bottom-up deposition sources may be provided, thereby reducing the risk of contamination. Deposition sources and even processing chambers may be used or provided depending on processing parameters such as application type and layer stack.

In some embodiments, the design of the deposition system may be adapted to open and close the second process chamber according to the respective application. For example, a substrate that has passed through a first process chamber may be directed to a second process chamber, or optionally, to a winding chamber, depending on the desired process. In one example, the control unit may activate the respective guide rollers to guide the substrate to the desired chamber. According to some embodiments, an alternative path for the substrate may be closed, such as a path that directs the substrate to a second processing chamber when the substrate is directed to a rewind chamber after the first process.

Accordingly, the system described herein with flexibility and space for various deposition sources allows for modular combination of several CVD, PECVD, and/or PVD processes in a single deposition apparatus (e.g., R2R coater). The modular concept (where all kinds of deposition sources, including those requiring very good gas separation, can be used in deposition systems according to embodiments described herein) helps reduce the deposition cost of complex layer stacks that must be deposited using complex combinations of different deposition techniques or processing parameters.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein. In particular, fig. 3 illustrates an example of a configuration of at least one process chamber (e.g., process chamber 140 in fig. 3) that may be connected to a first chamber 110 and a channel 150 of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein.

According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the process chamber 140 may include a separation wall 122 that is inclined with respect to a vertical or horizontal orientation, as exemplarily shown in fig. 3. For example, the inclination angle of the separation wall 122 may be 20 ° to 70 ° with respect to the vertical direction. Hereby, the inclination of the wall allows to provide additional processing components (e.g. deposition sources) to be provided such that the axis of the additional processing components (see line 331 shown in fig. 3) (e.g. symmetry axis of the deposition source) is located at the same level as the rotation axis 143 of the processing drum 142 or below the level of the rotation axis 143. In fig. 3, four deposition sources are provided, one of which is disposed at the level of the rotation axis 143 of the processing drum 142, and the other three of which are disposed below the level of the rotation axis 143 of the processing drum 142. As described above, in this configuration, flaking and dropping of particles generated on the substrate can be reduced or avoided. The fifth processing station shown in fig. 3 may be, for example, an etching station 640, and the etching station 640 may be, for example, disposed above the axis of rotation 143 of the processing drum 142. However, it should be understood that one or more etching stations may be provided at any other location of the convex wall portion of the first portion 146 of the process chamber 140. For example, one or more etching stations may be configured for plasma etching. Accordingly, embodiments as described herein may also be configured for R2R patterning, for example, by applying one or more etching processes.

Referring exemplarily to fig. 3, according to some embodiments, a substrate may be guided through a first vacuum processing area (e.g., a first vacuum processing area of a lowermost processing component in fig. 3) and at least one second vacuum processing area (e.g., another processing component on the right side of the lowermost processing component shown in fig. 3). Even though a deposition source is generally referred to herein as a processing component, other processing components, such as an etching station, a heating station, etc., may be provided along the curved surface of the processing drum 306. Accordingly, the system described herein with compartments for various deposition sources allows for modular combinations of several CVD, PECVD, and/or PVD processes, such as in R2R coater configurations. Advantageously, the modular concept (where all kinds of deposition sources including those requiring very good gas separation can be used in a processing system according to embodiments described herein) helps reduce the deposition cost of complex layer stacks that must be deposited using complex combinations of different deposition techniques or processing parameters.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that a deposition source (e.g., a plasma deposition source) may be adapted to deposit a thin film on a flexible substrate (e.g., web or foil), a glass substrate, or a silicon substrate, according to embodiments described herein. In particular, the deposition source may be adapted and may be used to deposit thin films on flexible substrates, for example, to form flexible TFTs, touch screen device components, or other electronic or optical devices.

According to some embodiments, the distance of the curved outer surface of the processing drum 142 from the flange or convex shape of the chamber may be 10mm to 500mm. In particular, the distance refers to the dimension from the surface of the processing drum to the inner wall or flange portion, which defines the vacuum area of the processing chamber 140. Providing the convex shape and dimensions mentioned above allows for a reduced chamber volume in the first portion 146 of the processing chamber 140. The reduced chamber volume in the first portion 146 of the process chamber allows for easier gas separation and easier evacuation of the process region. For example, the second portion 147 of the process chamber 140 may have a evacuable region of a volume, and the first portion 146 of the process chamber 140 may have another evacuable region of another volume, wherein the ratio of the volume to the other volume is at least 2:1, such as 3:1 to 6:1

According to other embodiments, the areas of the first portion 146 not filled with solid material may be filled with a block of material to reduce the area to be evacuated. For example, the second portion 147 has a volume of evacuable region and the first chamber portion 146 has another volume of evacuable region, and the ratio of the volume to the other volume is increased to at least 7:1 by the volume decreasing block.

Referring to fig. 3, according to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, an inspection system, particularly a layer measurement system (layer measurement system, LMS), such as an optical measurement unit 494 for estimating the results of substrate processing, may be provided. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that embodiments as described herein provide metrology capability, e.g., for estimating layer thickness by using, e.g., an optical reflection and/or transmission system for use with a transparent substrate.

Further, as exemplarily shown in fig. 3, according to some embodiments, at least one discharge assembly (e.g., discharge assembly 492 in fig. 3) may be provided for adapting the charge on the substrate. For example, one discharge assembly 492 may be disposed in the first chamber 110 before the substrate is directed to the processing chamber 140, and optionally, another discharge assembly 492 may be disposed at a location after the substrate has passed through the processing chamber, e.g., in the channel 150. Providing a discharge assembly can be beneficial in improving the quality of the process results because, for example, positive and/or negative charges may accumulate on the substrate in the unwind chamber. In particular, the electrical charge may be generated while the flexible substrate is unwound from the supply roll. Then, even when the web is moved into the process chamber, static charge may remain on the substrate and thus stray particles may be attracted to the substrate surface. Accordingly, by providing a discharge assembly as described herein, ions of opposite polarity may be provided, which move to the substrate surface to neutralize the charge. Accordingly, the cleaned and discharged surface of the flexible substrate is provided to the processing region, so that the processing quality of the substrate (e.g., coating) can be improved.

In this disclosure, the term "discharge assembly" is intended to mean any device capable of ionizing a gas by an electric field. The discharge element may be a passive unit or an active unit or both. Furthermore, the discharge assembly may comprise one or more neutralization devices, which are connectable to a power supply and control unit. The one or more neutralization devices may be provided as a neutralization gun or an ionization gun having one or more spikes (spikes). Furthermore, a power supply, in particular a high voltage power supply, may be connected to the neutralization device in order to provide a high voltage to the one or more spikes such that the process gas can be electrically broken down to generate ions that can move in the electric field towards the surface of the flexible substrate in order to neutralize the charge on the surface of the flexible substrate. The control unit may initiate a command or execute a preprogrammed discharge curve such that a negatively or positively charged ion stream is generated by the neutralization device, the negatively or positively charged ion stream will flow to the substrate surface such that ions of opposite polarity to the charge on the substrate surface can move to the substrate surface and neutralize the charge therein.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that according to embodiments described herein, the impact of particles on productivity may be reduced by using an electrostatic charge mitigation device (e.g., a discharge assembly as described herein) to prevent particulate material from the unwind chamber to the substrate surface from being attracted by substrate charging due to rollers for substrate transport loading during unwinding. This helps to limit the level of extrinsic contamination at the substrate surface.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the vacuum processing system 100 may include a pre-heating unit 194 to heat the flexible substrate 10 prior to processing, as exemplarily shown in fig. 3. For example, the pre-heating unit 194 may be an electrical heating device, a radiant heater, an electron beam heater, or any other element that heats the substrate prior to processing the substrate. In particular, the pre-heating unit 194 may be configured for a non-contact heating device of the flexible substrate, i.e., the pre-heating unit may be capable of heating the substrate to a defined temperature without contacting the substrate. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a preheating unit 194 for heating the flexible substrate may be provided in the first chamber 110, as exemplarily shown in fig. 3.

Additionally or alternatively, a pre-treatment plasma source 192 (e.g., an RF plasma source or ion source) may be provided to treat the substrate with plasma prior to treating the substrate. For example, the pre-treatment plasma source 192 may be disposed in the processing chamber 140, particularly in the second portion 147 of the processing chamber 140, such that the substrate may be pre-treated prior to entering the first portion 146 of the processing chamber 140. For example, pretreatment with plasma may provide surface modification of the substrate surface to enhance film adhesion of films deposited thereon, or may otherwise improve substrate morphology to improve substrate processing.

Referring exemplarily to fig. 3, a heating device 131 may be provided according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, and the heating device 131 may extend the substrate. For example, the heating device 131 may be configured for stretching the flexible substrate 10 in a direction perpendicular to the substrate transport direction 108 or for maintaining the stretching of the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the substrate transport direction 108. According to some implementations, the heating device 131 may be positioned opposite the front side of the flexible substrate 10. In particular, the heating device may be configured for providing lateral stretching of the substrate without front surface contact and by providing heat to the flexible substrate. As shown in fig. 3, optionally, a heat adjustment unit 133 may be provided, positioned opposite the first side of the heating device 131, according to some embodiments. In particular, the heat adjustment unit 133 and the heating device 131 may be arranged with a gap or tunnel that forms a path for the flexible substrate 10. For example, the heat adjusting unit 133 may be another heating device, a heat reflecting plate, or a combination thereof. The gap or tunnel formed by the arrangement of the heating device 131 and the heat adjusting unit 133 may have a size of at least 20mm (e.g., 30mm or more) in a direction parallel to the substrate transport direction. As exemplarily shown in fig. 3, the heat adjusting unit 133 and/or the heating device 131 may be disposed adjacent to the processing drum 142. For example, for a planar heating device surface opposite the substrate, the heating device surface may be substantially parallel to the portion of the substrate opposite the heating device surface, as exemplarily shown in fig. 3. However, it will be appreciated that the heating device surfaces may not necessarily be planar or parallel.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the heating device 131 may have a length of at least 5cm, typically at least 10cm (such as 20cm to 80 cm) along the transport direction of the substrate. The width of the heating device may be at least 50% of the width of the substrate or at least 50% of the width of the processing drum 142 (i.e. the dimension in the direction of its axis of rotation 143). According to one example, the width may for example exceed the width of the flexible substrate and/or the processing drum, respectively, for example about 110% of the width of the flexible substrate.

According to an exemplary implementation of the heating device 131, the heating device 131 may be provided with two or more segments that are individually controllable. Accordingly, individual segments may be heated to different temperatures and/or the thermal radiation emitted by each segment may be different. In particular, for embodiments having a heating device with a center section and one or more outer sections, the heat radiation or heating of the center section may be controlled independently of the one or more outer sections. For example, the substrate may be heated more in the center of the substrate so as to generate substrate extension by an elevated temperature at the center portion thereof.

Furthermore, particularly for thin substrates, such as substrates having a thickness of 200 μm or less, or 100 μm or less, or 50 μm or less (e.g., about 25 μm), wrinkle-free substrate processing and/or substrate coiling is desirable and challenging. Accordingly, substrate extension may be produced with an extender roller, and the extension may be thermally supported without front surface contact. Accordingly, according to some embodiments, wrinkle-free substrate winding and/or transport (or substrate winding and/or transport with reduced wrinkling) may be provided by the spreader roller 144, as exemplarily shown in fig. 3.

In some configurations, the position of the spreader roller 144 without substrate front surface contact may result in a free span length between the spreader roller 144 and the process drum 142 that may be too long for effective spreader effect. Accordingly, the heating device 131 may advantageously "transfer" the spreading effect of the spreader roller 144 to the processing drum 142. In particular, the heating device may heat the substrate in such a way that the substrate does not shrink to the original length of the substrate on the path of the processing roller. Additionally or alternatively, the heating means 131 may produce a further extension of the previously produced substrate extension. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the heating means may provide for stretching without or in addition to the spreader roll. Optionally, the processing drum 142 may be further configured for heating, e.g., the processing drum may include heating elements.

For example, to reduce or even eliminate wrinkles in the substrate during transportation of the substrate, a heating device 131 may be disposed between the spreader roller 144 and the processing drum 142. Accordingly, the heating device 131 may provide heat to the flexible substrate 10 in order to avoid losing the extension introduced by the extender roller 144, i.e., the extended substrate is heated by the heating device 131 so that the substrate does not shrink in its initial width on the path from the extender roller 144 to the processing roller 142. Accordingly, the heating device 131 may reduce the reverse stretching (de-stretching) of the flexible substrate after the spreader roller 144, or may even increase the stretching of the flexible substrate. According to some embodiments, the heating device 131 may be at a distance of 20cm or less, in particular 10cm or less, from the processing drum 142. According to further embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the distance along the transport path of the flexible substrate from the spreader roller 144 to the processing drum 142 may be 110cm or less, particularly 50cm or less.

According to embodiments herein, the spreader roller 144 may be adapted to stretch the flexible substrate 10. In particular, the spreader roller may have a curved surface along the length of the roller. Accordingly, the curved surface of the spreader roller may have a tensioning effect in the width direction of the substrate, so that the flexible substrate 10 may be stretched along the substrate width. For example, the flexible substrate 10 may be stretched in a direction parallel to the rotational axis 143 of the processing drum 142. It will be appreciated that various types of spreader rolls may be provided, such as arcuate rolls, metal inflatable rolls, curved bar rolls, grooved rolls or the like, some of which will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 4A and 4B. According to some embodiments, the spreader roller may include an electrical heater for supporting or enhancing mechanical stretching introduced into the flexible substrate by the spreader roller.

An exemplary embodiment of the spreader roller 144 is shown in fig. 4A and 4B. As exemplarily shown in fig. 4A, the spreader roller 144 may include an arcuate or curved central axis (see, e.g., central axis 211 in fig. 4A). Opposite ends of the central shaft may be supported by mounting supports. Further, a bending roller 213 may be provided on the central shaft 211. For example, the bending roller 213 may be provided by a flexible surface sheath, which may be made of rubber or similar material, for example. Accordingly, when the bending roller is disposed with the convex surface 213A facing away from the flexible substrate, the bending roller 213 may affect lateral expansion of the flexible substrate.

Another example of an extender roller 144 is shown in fig. 4B. In this example, the spreader roller 144 may include two rotating elements 215, the two rotating elements 215 rotating about respective axes 214. As exemplarily shown in fig. 4B, the two axes may be inclined with respect to each other. The rotating element 215 may have the form of a truncated cone (truncated cone) in which the inner diameter D1 is smaller than the outer diameter D2. The upper sides of the rotating elements in fig. 4B in contact with the flexible substrate 10 are arranged such that the two rotating elements are aligned substantially along a straight line. However, in a cross-sectional view in a direction perpendicular to the cross-sectional view shown in fig. 4B, the flexible substrate 10 contacts the rotary member 215 only at an outer portion of the flexible substrate 10. By guiding the flexible substrate 10 over the spreader roller 144 (e.g., by rotating two rotating elements), spreading of the flexible substrate may be achieved. The stretching may be increased by increasing the interleaving angle of the flexible substrate 10 around the spreader roll 144.

According to embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the vacuum processing system may be provided with a substrate guiding control unit 300, as exemplarily shown in fig. 5A. The substrate guide control unit 300 may include a single guide roller, for example, the guide roller 104 in fig. 5A. For example, the diameter of the guide roller 104 may be selected from a range between 65mm and 300 mm. The guide roller 104 may be mounted to the shaft 115, for example. As used herein, the term "shaft" shall include any support of the guide roller 104, which may be rotatable (i.e., a shaft in the strict sense), or may be configured as a static shaft about which the guide roller rotates. Notably, the single guide roller described in connection with the substrate guide control unit is "single," which refers to the substrate guide control unit providing adjustment to the substrate guide without other data input from measurements at other guide rollers of the substrate processing system. That is, the adjustment as described herein is based only on tension data measured at a single guide roller. The substrate guide control unit as described herein may operate without a second guide roller for providing measurement data or adjusting the substrate.

According to some embodiments, the guide roller 104 may be equipped with two substrate tension measuring units, for example, a first substrate tension measuring unit 301 and a second substrate tension measuring unit 302, as exemplarily shown in fig. 5A and 5B. For example, the substrate tension measurement unit may comprise a tension sensor, such as a piezoresistive or piezoelectric tension sensor. Alternatively, the tension measuring unit may be equipped with a hall element or a capacitor in order to determine the tension. According to some embodiments, the substrate tension control unit is provided with even more than two substrate tension measurement units, and thus optionally also with more than two sensors. According to some embodiments, a substrate tension measurement unit as described herein may be adapted to measure a tension between 0N/m and 1000N/m.

According to some embodiments, the first substrate tension measurement unit 301 is at a first end of the guide roller 104, while the second substrate tension measurement unit 302 may be disposed at an opposite second end of the guide roller 104. In this respect, it will be understood that the term "end" of the roller is to be understood as a position in the axial direction, i.e. at or near the end of the guiding roller or the shaft of the guiding roller. For clarity, the first end 104A and the second end 104B are indicated clearly in fig. 5A and 5B with reference numerals. Accordingly, the substrate tension measuring unit may be coaxially positioned on the shaft 115 of the guide roller 104. Alternatively, the substrate tension measuring unit may be embedded in the guide roller 104.

It will be appreciated that the substrate tension measurement unit as described herein is configured to measure the tension acting on the guide rollers caused by the guided substrate. By measuring the tension on both sides of the guide roller and thereby the substrate, the tension difference can be measured. Based on the measurement data, appropriate adjustments can be made.

According to some embodiments, the substrate tension measurement unit comprises a transducer and/or a strain gauge (strain gauge). In particular, the transducer may comprise a beam that expands or compresses in response to varying tension forces. Strain gauges measure the corresponding change in resistance. The measurements performed by the strain gauges may be amplified and converted to voltages or currents for further processing.

For illustration purposes, in fig. 5A and 5B, the guide roller 104 is shown mounted on a frame 320. The frame 320 may be any unit capable of supporting the substrate guide control unit 300. In particular, the substrate guiding control unit may be provided with one or more bearings. For example, bearings may be positioned between the substrate guide control unit 300 and the frame 320 to separate the rotational movement of the shaft 115 from the frame. Notably, the frames 320 on both sides of the guide roller may, but need not, be integral frames.

Referring to fig. 5A and 5B exemplarily, the substrate guide control unit 300 may include an adjustment unit 310 for adjusting alignment of the guide rollers. The adjustment unit may be placed at the first end 104A or the second end 104B of the guide roller 104. For example, as exemplarily shown in fig. 5A, the adjustment unit 310 may be placed adjacent to the second substrate tension measurement unit 302. It is also possible to provide two adjustment units (not shown), for example one adjustment unit 310 at each end of the guide roller 104.

In particular, the adjustment unit 310 may be applied to the alignment of the guide rollers 104 in order to avoid lateral tension on the substrate. For example, the substrate guide control unit 300 may be particularly used to compensate for different coil strengths (coiling strengths) at the guide roller 104 and thus for all equipment after the guide roller 104. The different coil strengths may, for example, result in different thicknesses of the substrate along the width of the substrate. This can lead to oblique feeding and subsequently to a change in contact between the guide roller and the substrate to be guided, which can be accompanied by thermal complications.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the tension data measured by the tension measurement unit as described herein may be used to adjust the alignment of the guide rollers by moving one end of the guide rollers. In this way, the alignment of the guide rollers can be adjusted compared to one or more of the horizontal and vertical directions. According to embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the guiding roller may be movable in a dimension corresponding to a dimension when a force caused by the substrate tension acts on the axis of the guiding roller. For illustration purposes, an exemplary movement of guide roller 104 is indicated by double-headed arrow 350 in fig. 5B.

According to some embodiments as exemplarily shown in fig. 5A, a controller 501 may be provided for controlling the substrate guiding control unit 300. For example, the tension data on one end of the guide roller 104 measured by the first substrate tension measuring unit 301 and the tension data on the opposite end of the guide roller 104 measured by the second substrate tension measuring unit 302 may be supplied to the controller 501 via a data connection such as a direct-to-peer (dc-to-peer) data line or a data bus. Alternatively, the data may be supplied via wireless technology. In particular, the controller may be provided for performing one or more of the following tasks: receiving measured tension data; estimating measured tension data; making calculations as to how the guide rollers should be aligned; storing data in and retrieving data from memory; the control and adjustment unit is performed, for example, by controlling a motor for moving one end of the guide roller.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the controller 501 may be a separate device (as shown in fig. 5A), for example, comprising a CPU and possibly a data storage, in particular a personal computer. Alternatively, the controller may be integrated in one or both of the tension measuring units, or the controller may be integrated in the adjustment unit. Alternatively, the controller may be implemented in a master control of the vacuum processing system, for example, by a corresponding program or software running in the master control.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the data connection 311 may be used to transmit information from the tension measurement unit and/or the adjustment unit to the controller and/or the external interface. For example, such an interface may comprise a personal computer that processes data from the measurement unit and/or one or more adjustment units. In addition, the interface may comprise an analog front panel comprising different elements for tuning the adjustment unit 310, i.e. using different potentiometers, dials, switches and displays for tuning. In addition, the interface may also include a digital device including a numeric keypad, a graphical display, text commands, or a graphical user interface. Typically, all of these interfaces include different features, such as controller functions, system calibration, ambient condition compensation, or waveform acquisition and recording from a tension measurement unit or adjustment unit.

The data connection 311 is typically used to transmit information from the measurement unit (e.g., via the controller 501) to the adjustment unit 310. The adjustment unit 310 receives information about how the guide roller 104 should be adjusted. In the simplest implementation, the information may be limited to the signal as to whether an adjustment should be made or not, and if so in which direction. The adjustment unit may move the respective end of the guide roller in this direction until the signal becomes a "no movement" signal or a signal indicating that the adjustment unit moves the guide roller again in the opposite direction. However, the adjustment unit may be more complex, e.g. the adjustment unit may receive information about the tension difference between the two sides of the guiding roller, and the adjustment unit may initiate a corresponding movement of the guiding roller until the tension is equalized.

According to some embodiments, different port types are used for connecting the data connection 311. For example, when serial communication is used, the ports are RS232, RS422, RS485 or Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports. In particular, when communication between the data connection 311 and a computer is desired, a parallel communication device may be used. The most common parallel communication devices are DB-25, centronics 36, SPP, EPP or ECP parallel ports. The data connection 311 may be used to make the tuning unit 310 compatible with transistor-transistor logic (TTL) or programmable logic controller (programmable logic controllers, PLC). In addition, the data connection 311 may be used to connect one or more of the tension measurement units and/or the adjustment unit to a network.

Fig. 5B shows a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the substrate guidance control unit 300 of the present subject matter. Throughout the disclosure herein, like reference numerals are used for like objects. The adjustment unit 310 is shown as including an adjustment actuator 313, such as a motor, for moving one end of the guide roller. It is worth noting that this is not limited to the embodiment of fig. 5B, and that one or more of the adjustment units of all embodiments described herein may be provided with an actuator, such as a motor. For example, the motor may be a linear motor. As indicated by double headed arrow 350, the ends of the guide rollers can be moved up and down in the perspective view shown in this page.

According to some embodiments, the direction of movement of the adjustment unit corresponds to the measuring direction of the tension measuring unit. That is, as shown in fig. 5B, the first substrate tension measuring unit 301 and the second substrate tension measuring unit 302 may be configured to measure the tension at the guide roller 104 in the same direction as the direction in which the adjusting unit 310 is configured to move the guide roller 104. For example, in the embodiment of fig. 5B, the direction indicated by the double-headed arrow 350 may correspond to both the moving direction of the adjustment unit and the measuring direction of the tension measuring unit.

It will be appreciated that various actuators may be used in the adjustment unit as described herein. For example, the actuator for adjustment may be an electric motor or a hydraulic motor. Furthermore, although not explicitly shown, a rail or the like may be provided at the frame 320, along which the adjustment unit may move the respective ends (104A, 104B) of the guide roller 104.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a vacuum processing system as described herein. Referring exemplarily to fig. 6, according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, at least one of the process chambers (e.g., the first process chamber 140A and/or the second process chamber 240) may include a gas separation unit 370. As shown in fig. 6, the flexible substrate 10 is guided through two or more processing regions, for example, a first processing region 381 and a second processing region 382, via guide rollers (e.g., guide rollers 104) and a processing roller 142. In the exemplary embodiment of fig. 6, five gas separation units 370 are shown. As can be seen in fig. 6, according to some embodiments, two adjacent gas separation units may form a treatment zone therebetween. In other words, the individual treatment zones may be separated by a gas separation unit. Accordingly, in fig. 6, four processing regions can be identified. It will be appreciated that the number of processing regions may be adjusted depending on the selected process to be performed. According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, each of the processing regions may be evacuated independently of each other depending on the desired processing conditions. For example, as shown in fig. 6, each of the processing regions may include a vacuum flange 402. Accordingly, the processing system may be configured such that one or more vacuum pumps or vacuum pump arrangements may be connected to each of the respective vacuum flanges.

According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, an internal pump shield may be used to control the flow of gas within the process compartment (e.g., within the first process region 381 and the second process region 382). In particular, the internal pump shield may include a shield geometry for controlling the fluid velocity flow line (fluid velocity streamlines). More particularly, the internal pump shield may be configured to promote laminar airflow such that recirculation zones/dead zones may be inhibited to reduce the risk of particle nucleation and growth within the process compartment. Furthermore, according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the treatment compartment may be configured for uniform pressure distribution within the treatment zone. In particular, the treatment compartment may be configured such that a minimum pressure difference directly adjacent to the gas injection nozzle may be obtained, e.g. a pressure difference of less than 0.1% within the deposition or coating zone.

According to some embodiments, the gas separation unit 370 may include a gas separation wall 372, the gas separation wall 372 preventing gas in one process zone from entering an adjacent zone, such as an adjacent process zone. Further, the gas separation unit 370 may be configured for adjusting the width of the slit 20 between the gas separation unit 370 and the processing drum 142, as indicated by arrow 371. According to some embodiments, the gas separation unit 370 may include an actuator 374, the actuator 374 being configured to move the element 373 coupled to the actuator 374 as indicated by arrow 371. The element 373 of the gas separation unit 370 may provide a slit between the gas separation unit 370 and the flexible substrate 10 guided along the surface of the processing drum 142. Accordingly, the element 373 may define a slit length, and the position of the element 373 may define a width of the slit between the gas separation unit 370 and the flexible substrate 10. Accordingly, the gas separation unit 370 is adapted to separate adjacent vacuum processing regions and form a slit through which the substrate may pass between the outer surface of the processing drum and the gas separation unit. Further, the gas separation unit may be adapted to control fluid communication between adjacent process regions (e.g., the first process region 381 and the second process region 382). It will be appreciated that the first processing region 381 may be a first vacuum processing region and the second processing region 382 may be a second vacuum processing region. In particular, fluid communication between adjacent process zones may be controlled by adjusting the position of the gas separation unit, as indicated by arrow 371.

According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the actuator 374 of the gas separation unit 370 may be selected from the group consisting of: motors, pneumatic actuators (such as air cylinders), linear drives, hydraulic actuators (such as hydraulic cylinders), and supports having a predetermined coefficient of thermal expansion when exposed to a predetermined heating or cooling, as described in more detail with respect to fig. 7A and 7B.

According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a slit width monitoring device 342 (e.g., an optical measurement device such as a camera) may be provided, as exemplarily shown in fig. 6. The slit width monitoring device 342 may be used to measure the width of the slit 20 between the gas separation unit 370 and the flexible substrate 10. The slit width monitoring device 342 may be connected to the monitoring controller 450, for example, via a signal line 343. The monitoring controller 450 may be connected to the actuators 374 of the respective gas separation units with signal lines. Accordingly, the supervisory controller 450 may initiate a signal for controlling the actuator 374 to adjust the position of the gas separation unit 370, in particular the position of the element 373, as indicated by arrow 371.

Referring illustratively to fig. 6, one or more deposition sources 630 may be provided with a connection 631 according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein. Connection 631 may be an electrical connection and/or connection for the input and output of process gases. Further, one or more monitoring devices 633 may be provided for the deposition source 630. For example, the monitoring device 633 may be a device for measuring electrode voltage and/or electrode current and/or plasma impedance at the deposition source (e.g., after the matching circuit). Additionally or alternatively, gases flowing into and out of the processing region of the deposition source may also be monitored. For example, the pressure and/or even the gas mixture at the respective conduit may be analyzed. It will be appreciated that if the width of the slit 20 increases, the gas separation coefficient decreases and process gas from adjacent process regions may enter. Accordingly, embodiments as described herein may be configured for varying gas pressure and gas mixture such that plasma conditions in a processing region may vary. Accordingly, the monitoring device 633 may be used to determine plasma conditions. In view of the fact that the plasma conditions vary, for example, if the diameter of the process drum increases (e.g., due to thermal expansion), the monitoring device 633 may be used to determine the slit width between the source and the process drum. For example, one or more signals related to slit width and/or plasma conditions may be provided to the monitor controller 450, e.g., via signal line 343. Since the monitor controller 450 may be connected to the actuator 374, the slit width of the gas separation unit may be adjusted accordingly, as outlined above. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the monitor controller 450 may be used to control the adjustment of the slit width. In particular, the adjustment of the slit width may be automated. Accordingly, an improved or optimized gas separation coefficient may be provided throughout the operation of a vacuum processing system as described herein. This may also prevent the risk of scraping the processing drum when the temperature of the processing drum increases.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the monitoring device may be a CVD process monitor. For example, the monitoring device may measure at least one of the group consisting of: voltage, current, phase, harmonics, impedance, or (in the case of algorithms) plasma density of the deposition source. The corresponding plasma monitoring device can be used for endpoint detection of cleaning processes, silane dust formation notification, and for real-time non-invasive process feedback, for example in the form of plasma density by algorithms for system control. However, in accordance with some embodiments described herein, additionally, a monitoring device may be used to determine the distance of an electrode of a PECVD source from a substrate and/or a corresponding counter electrode (counter electrode) disposed behind the substrate (e.g., a processing drum). Additionally or alternatively, the monitoring device may also be used to measure process gas variations due to slit width variations of the gas separation unit.

Accordingly, it will be appreciated that, according to some embodiments, a non-invasive plasma characterization method may be provided by a monitoring device (e.g., an impedance sensor). For example, the impedance sensor may be used as a pre-match or post-match sensor, i.e., for the matching circuit or after the matching circuit. Accordingly, the matched mounting of the monitoring device may provide direct information about the RF voltage on the electrode and the actual plasma impedance. According to some embodiments, an electronic "fingerprint" of the plasma may be provided, wherein the distance of the electrode from the substrate or process gas contamination from adjacent areas may also be determined. The phase angle and/or amplitude differences of the harmonic signals may represent subtle changes in processing conditions, such as the onset of processing drift. Hereby, indirect information about the ion flux incident at the surface of the powered electrode and thus the plasma density can be provided, in particular by measuring harmonics in the system powering the deposition source.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the deposition source (e.g., a plasma enhanced deposition source) may operate at a frequency of 2MHz to 90MHz (e.g., a frequency of 40.68 MHz), and the monitoring device (e.g., an integrated impedance sensor) may provide real-time on-line process monitoring and control of corresponding process parameters (e.g., width of slit of gas separation unit and/or distance of electrode of deposition source from substrate).

In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the slit width of the gas separation unit may be adjusted while the vacuum processing system is operating, according to some embodiments described herein. Accordingly, variations in slit width (e.g., variations in slit width due to thermal expansion of a substrate support (e.g., a process drum)) may be compensated for and the slit width of the gas separation unit may be adjusted for individual operating conditions. This is particularly useful in applications requiring high gas separations (e.g., PECVD processes). Accordingly, a vacuum processing system as described herein with compartments for various deposition sources allows for several CVD, PECVD, and/or PVD. This modular concept, in which all kinds of deposition sources including those requiring very good gas separation can be used, helps reduce the deposition costs of complex layer stacks that have to be deposited using a complex combination of different deposition techniques or process parameters.

Further, it will be noted that the embodiments described herein are beneficial with respect to the following aspects: many process runs require low process drum temperatures, about 0 ℃. At low temperatures, if a thin plastic film (e.g., 50 microns) is used, the fixed slot width, which has been adjusted for higher process roll temperatures, is about 1.5mm to 2.0mm. In this case, the gas separation coefficient is generally lower than the specific gas separation coefficient (1:100). This is critical to the process run where the layer materials are deposited in adjacent process regions (e.g., sputtering chambers) using different reactant gas compositions. For example, the case where such conditions may apply is in Nb ₂ O ₅ And during the deposition of ITO. This may be the case, for example, in touch panel manufacturing. Accordingly, embodiments of the vacuum processing system described herein are particularly useful for manufacturing multi-layer applications (e.g., in display devices such as touch panels).

As mentioned above, embodiments relate to adjusting a gas separation unit during machine operation, in particular automatically adjusting or "self" adjusting a gas separation wall. This may be applicable to sputter deposition, but is also applicable to CVD and PECVD deposition, and is particularly applicable to deposition in which the process gas comprises a reactive gas component, which is partially or fully incorporated into the layer to be deposited. Similar to the sputter web coater (R2R coater), gas separation is beneficial for layers deposited in a reactive atmosphere. By using a gas separation unit that is self-adjusting or automatically adjustable, the slit width may be varied according to different thickness values of the substrate. It will be appreciated that the improved gas separation factor also affects the vacuum processing system design. In particular, the length of the gas separation unit between the two compartments may be reduced, i.e. the length of the slit 20 and/or the element 373, e.g. as shown in fig. 6, may be reduced. This has the effect of potentially causing a reduction in the size, cost and footprint of the vacuum processing system.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the width of the slit 20 between the gas separation unit 370 and the flexible substrate 10 (which is defined by the elements 373 of the gas separation unit 370) may be adjusted by a support arrangement, for example comprising a disc 314, as exemplarily shown in fig. 7A and 7B. For example, the disc 314 may have substantially the same diameter as the process drum 142. Even though the process drum 142 is drawn slightly larger than the disk 314 in fig. 7A, this is primarily for illustration purposes, as the process drum 142 and disk may have the same diameter. The disc 314 may be mounted to the rotational axis 143. According to some embodiments, the disc 314 remains stationary during rotation of the processing drum 142, i.e., the disc does not rotate with the processing drum.

In the example of the gas separation unit 370, as exemplarily shown in fig. 7A and 7B, the wall element 322 is connected to the disc 314 by the connection element 312. Accordingly, according to some embodiments, the connecting element 312 may determine the width of the slit 20. According to alternative embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the disc 314, the connecting element 312 and the wall element 322 may also be provided as one integral unit, or the disc 314 and the connecting element 312, or the wall element 322 and the connecting element 312 may be provided as one integrally formed unit.

It will be appreciated that if the temperature of the process drum 142 changes, the diameter of the process drum 142 will change. Accordingly, the width of the slit 20 may be affected by variations in the diameter of the processing drum, and adjustment of the slit width may be provided according to some embodiments described herein. A support arrangement for the gas separation unit 370 comprising the disc 314 and the connecting element 312 is provided for adjustment of the width of the slit 20, as indicated by arrow 326 in fig. 7B. According to some embodiments, the disc 314 may be passively heated or passively cooled by the process drum 142. Accordingly, the disc 314 may be provided at substantially the same temperature as the process drum 142, e.g., the temperature of the disc 314 may vary ±10 ℃ from the temperature of the process drum 142. Accordingly, the disks 314 also undergo thermal expansion such that thermal expansion of the process drum 142 is followed by thermal expansion of the disks 314.

According to further embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, additionally or alternatively the tray 314 or a similar support for the gas separation unit 370 may be provided with cooling channels or heating elements. Accordingly, the temperature of the disc 314 may be individually controlled. Accordingly, the thermal expansion of the disc 314 may be controlled independently of the temperature of the process drum 142, so that the width of the slit 20 may be adjusted.

Regarding the effect of temperature on the process drum and disk, the following will be noted. In the following example, the process drum may be made of stainless steel and the tray may be made of aluminum. Accordingly, αdrum/αdisk= 0.6723 can be obtained in the case where the thermal expansion coefficient αss=0.000016K-l of stainless steel and the thermal expansion coefficient αal= 0.0000238K-l of aluminum. Accordingly, for example, a tray temperature of 268.91 ℃ may be provided to correspond to a drum temperature of 400 ℃. Hereby, the thermal expansion of the processing drum at 400 ℃ can be compensated for. In the case where the disc 314 is made of or consists of a material having the same coefficient of thermal expansion as that of the process roller 142, and if the temperature of the disc 314 can be controlled to be substantially the same as that of the process roller 142, then the thermal expansion (see, e.g., arrow 326) is substantially the same. Accordingly, the width of the slit 20 is changed only by the thermal expansion of the connection member 312. In this regard, it should be noted that the length of the connecting element 312 is shorter than the radius of the processing drum 142. Accordingly, the variation of slit width with thermal expansion is significantly reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to select a material of the connection element 312 having a low thermal expansion coefficient, so that the influence of temperature on the thermal expansion of the connection element 312 can be further reduced.

According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the material of the disc 314 may be selected to be different from the material of the process roller 142 and may be selected to have a different coefficient of thermal expansion than the process roller 142. Accordingly, the thermal expansion of the disc 314 (which corresponds to the thermal expansion of the process drum 142) may be provided by different temperatures, such that it is not necessary to provide the same temperature at the disc 314 as compared to the process drum 142. In particular, if the disc 314 and the connecting element 312 are integrally formed, the different coefficients of thermal expansion may also compensate for the larger radial dimension of the connecting element 312 that is coupled to the disc 314.

Although fig. 7A and 7B illustrate a circular tray similar to the process drum 142, the support arrangement for supporting the gas separation unit 370 may also be a portion of the tray, a rod, or any other suitable shape, according to other embodiments. Furthermore, it should be noted that even though the above aspects and details relate to thermal expansion, shrinkage may be provided during operation, for example if the processing drum is cooled to a lower temperature after the first treatment at a higher temperature. Accordingly, it will be understood that the term "expansion" refers to the behavior due to the coefficient of thermal expansion of an element, i.e., thermal expansion may have a positive sign or a negative sign.

In view of the above, it will be appreciated that according to some embodiments described herein, a gap adjustment device for a gas separation unit may be provided (e.g. by means of a support arrangement comprising a disc or by means of an actuator configured as described herein). In particular, the gap adjustment device may be configured for adjusting the width of the slit between the processing drum and the gas separation unit and/or the deposition source body. Accordingly, the gap adjusting device ensures a constant and high level of gas. Further, it will be appreciated that embodiments of the gas separation unit as described herein may be configured for providing uniform thermal expansion, for example, by co-heating or co-cooling the gas separation unit by a hot oil circuit (thermo-oil circuit) during a heating phase or cooling phase. In particular, embodiments of gas separation units as described herein may be configured for providing a temperature uniformity of less than ±2.5% non-uniformity.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a deposition source 630 that may be used as a processing component of a vacuum processing system as described herein. According to embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the deposition source 630 includes a body 603 and an electrode 602 that may be supported by the body. For example, the deposition source 630 may be a plasma deposition source. The electrode 602 may be connected to a matching circuit 680 for providing power to the electrode so that a plasma may be generated in the processing region of the deposition source 630. Accordingly, the deposition source 630 may be configured for generating a plasma between the electrode 602 and the flexible substrate 10 to be processed during operation. Accordingly, the deposition source may be configured such that a plasma in the processing region may be ignited and sustained.

According to embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the deposition source 630 may further include a process gas inlet 612 for providing a process gas mixture into the processing region, and a process gas outlet 614 (e.g., an evacuation outlet) for removing the process gas mixture from the processing region. In particular, a plurality of openings or slit openings may be provided as gas inlets and/or gas outlets, respectively. Accordingly, process gas may flow from the process gas inlet 612 to the process gas outlet 614. According to an embodiment, the process gas inlet and the process gas outlet may extend in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper of fig. 8. In particular, the process gas inlet and the process gas outlet may be arranged to extend at least along the width of the substrate to be processed and/or at least along a desired length of the processing region. Advantageously, the process gas inlet and the process gas outlet may be configured to extend at least slightly beyond the maximum substrate width in order to provide uniform conditions in the substrate area to be coated.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the deposition source 630 and the gas separation unit 370 may be formed in one arrangement. For example, fig. 8 shows a gas separation unit 370 mounted to a body 603 of a deposition source 630. Accordingly, the adjustment of the slit width of the gas separation unit and the adjustment of the distance between the electrode 602 and the substrate can be provided in combination.

Referring to fig. 8, a deposition source 630 may be connected to the wall 102 such that the distance of the body 603 from the wall 102 may vary (indicated by corrugations 632 in fig. 8). As shown in fig. 8, the body 603, the electrode 602, and/or the gas separation unit 370 may be supported by a support that is in mechanical contact with the axis of the processing drum. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the slit width of the gas separation unit and the distance between the electrode 602 and the substrate may be adjusted as exemplarily described above with respect to fig. 7A and 7B. Alternatively, an actuator may be disposed between the body 603 of the deposition source 630 and the wall 102 such that the positions of the body, the gas separation unit, and the electrode may be varied to adjust the distance from the substrate.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic perspective cutaway view of a deposition source 630 mounted to a wall of a process chamber according to embodiments described herein. As exemplarily shown in fig. 9, one or more gas separation units 370 may be disposed around a processing region disposed between the electrode 602 and a substrate to be processed according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein. In particular, the perspective cross-sectional view of fig. 9 shows the gas separation unit 370 arranged at three sides of the electrode 602. Further, in fig. 9, the process gas flow in the process zone is shown. In particular, the process gas flows from the process gas inlet 612 to the process gas outlet 614 as indicated by arrow 811.

Further, as shown in fig. 9, according to some embodiments, one or more separation gas inlets 1842 may be provided, for example, two separation gas inlets as shown in fig. 9. Accordingly, as indicated by arrow 843, a separation gas or a purge gas may be provided in an intermediate region between the separation gas inlet 1842 and the gas separation unit 370. In addition, according to some embodiments, another gas separation unit 1370 may be provided to provide a gas flow barrier. Accordingly, the respective pressures as described above can be provided in these areas. Although not shown in fig. 8, a separate gas or purge gas, as indicated by arrow 843, may also be provided in the opposite direction to provide purge gas to an adjacent plasma deposition source.

Fig. 10A-10C illustrate various embodiments of process gas flows, purge gas or separation gas flows, and pumping or pumping regions according to embodiments described herein. Fig. 10A shows two deposition sources (see, e.g., deposition source 630 in fig. 10A) disposed adjacent to each other at respective processing regions. The processing region is disposed at the processing drum 142, and the processing drum 142 forms a curved substrate support surface. As exemplarily shown in fig. 10A, each deposition source can have an electrode 602. At one side of the electrode 602, a process gas inlet 612 is provided. For example, the gas inlet may be a slit or a plurality of openings extending along the axial direction of the processing drum 142. A wall portion forming a gas separation unit 370 is provided near the process gas inlet 612. The deposition source 630 shown in fig. 10A includes a matching circuit 680, the matching circuit 680 being connectable to the electrode 602 such that power for igniting and maintaining plasma in the processing region can be provided to the electrode. Further, as shown in fig. 10A, a separation gas inlet 1842 for separating a gas (such as hydrogen) may be provided between deposition sources or corresponding processing regions according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein. Furthermore, pumping or suction channels may be provided between the deposition sources or the respective processing regions. Additionally, vacuum channels 1142 (e.g., pumping ports) may be positioned on either side of the separation gas inlet 1842, as exemplarily shown in fig. 10A.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the separation gas inlet 1842 may further comprise a wall portion providing another gas separation unit 1370. According to embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, at least one of the deposition sources 630 may include an actuator to vary the distance of the deposition source from the process drum 142. Accordingly, the distance variation may be provided by an actuator, such as described with reference to fig. 6, or may be provided by a support arrangement, as shown in fig. 7A and 7B. Accordingly, the radial positions of the electrode 602, the first gas separation unit (e.g., the gas separation unit 370 in fig. 6-8), and the further gas separation unit 1370 may be varied and adjusted relative to the axis of the process drum 142. For example, the variations and adjustments may be used to compensate for thermal expansion or contraction of the process drum as the temperature of the process drum varies, as exemplarily described with respect to fig. 6, 7A, and 7B.

Referring exemplarily to fig. 10A, a separation gas inlet 1842 can be disposed between the deposition source 630 and a vacuum channel 1142 (e.g., vacuum channels disposed on both sides of the separation gas inlet 1842) according to embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein. From fig. 10A, it will be appreciated that the processing drum extends in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper of fig. 10A. Further, the electrode, gas inlet, gas outlet, and evacuation piping extend in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper surface in fig. 10A.

Fig. 10B illustrates an exemplary embodiment in which, contrary to the embodiment illustrated in fig. 10A, a process gas inlet 612 is provided between respective deposition sources for two deposition sources 630 such that a process gas flow direction is provided in the same direction as a substrate transport direction for one of the deposition sources and in an opposite direction for the respective other of the deposition sources.

Fig. 10C shows a schematic concept of various gas inlets and evacuation or pumping channels for adjacent deposition sources. In particular, fig. 10C shows the gas inlet, gas outlet and evacuation piping in the form of arrows. It will be appreciated that the corresponding channels and conduits may be provided according to any of the embodiments described herein. Fig. 10C shows two adjacent electrodes, which are considered as part of the deposition source at the respective locations. According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the electrode 602 may be an electrode for a plasma-assisted deposition process, such as an electrode of a PECVD source. As shown in fig. 10C, a process gas inlet 612 and a process gas outlet 614 may be provided at opposite sides of the electrode 602 for each of the adjacent deposition sources. Furthermore, separation gas inlets 1842 may be disposed on both sides of the electrode 602 such that the process gas inlet 612 and the process gas outlet 614 are positioned between the electrode 602 and the respective separation gas inlets (see, e.g., separation gas inlet 1842), respectively. Further, as shown in fig. 10C, a vacuum channel 1142, i.e., a suction channel or an evacuation pipe, may be provided. In particular, the evacuation conduits may be disposed at respective opposite sides of the electrode 602 such that the separation gas inlet 1842 and the process gas inlet 612 and process gas outlet 614 are disposed between the evacuation conduits and the electrode 602.

The embodiments described herein are particularly useful for applications in which different treatments are provided in adjacent or nearby treatment areas. For example, a first deposition process may be performed by a deposition source shown by electrode 602 on the left side of fig. 10C, wherein a different second deposition process may be performed by a deposition source shown by electrode 602 on the right side of fig. 10C. For example, if the pressure in the left-hand treatment zone is 0.3mbar and the pressure in the right-hand treatment zone is 1.7mbar, the pressure in the intermediate vacuum channel zone may for example be provided lower than the lower pressure of the two treatment zones. In the above example, the pressure may be 0.2mbar. According to further embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, where more than two deposition sources are provided, the pressure in the region of the evacuation conduit may be provided below the minimum pressure in any of the processing regions.

According to other embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, wall portions or elements of the gas separation unit may be provided for the arrangement described in relation to fig. 10C. Accordingly, wall portions or elements of the gas separation unit may be disposed between the process gas inlet and the separation gas inlet and between the process gas outlet and the separation gas inlet, and may be further disposed between the separation gas inlet and the evacuation conduit, as exemplarily described with respect to fig. 8, 9 and 11.

FIG. 11 shows a schematic perspective view of a deposition source according to embodiments described herein. As described above, the deposition source 630 includes an electrode 602, and the electrode 602 may be connected to a matching circuit 680 such that the electrode 602 is powered. As shown in fig. 11, the electrode 602 may be provided with a curved surface such that the electrode corresponds to the process drum, i.e. the electrode has a surface that is substantially parallel with respect to the surface of the process drum. Arrows 811 schematically illustrate the flow of process gas along the electrode 602 in the process zone. The respective slits of the process gas inlet 612 and the process gas outlet 614 are highlighted by bold lines in fig. 11. Accordingly, in accordance with some embodiments, particularly for PECVD processes, the process gas flow may be asymmetric, i.e., in the direction of substrate movement or in a direction opposite to the direction of substrate movement.

As exemplarily shown in fig. 11, the gas separation unit 370 may be disposed around the electrode 602 according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein. Accordingly, the gas separation unit 370 may include a first gas separation unit portion 370A on one side of the electrode 602 and a second gas separation unit portion 370B on an opposite side of the electrode 602. An additional side portion 370C of the gas separation unit 370 may be provided. Accordingly, the gas separation unit 370 surrounding the electrode 602 may provide an improved separation coefficient.

Furthermore, according to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, one or more openings of the separation gas inlet 1842 may be provided at a first side of the electrode 602 and an opposite side of the electrode 602. The one or more openings of the separation gas inlet 1842 can also be referred to as one or more separation gas inlet openings. As exemplarily shown in fig. 11, according to some embodiments, the separation gas inlet 1842 may be configured to surround the electrode 602 such that the gas separation unit 370 is disposed between the separation gas inlet 1842 and the electrode 602.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, another gas separation unit 1370 may be provided. For example, another gas separation unit 1370 may include additional first and second gas separation portions 1370A and 1370B disposed at opposite sides of the electrode 602. Alternatively, two gas separation units may be provided instead of the first and second portions of the other gas separation unit 1370 shown in fig. 11. For example, the other gas separation unit 1370 shown in fig. 11 further includes an additional side portion 1370C such that the other gas separation unit 1370 surrounds the electrode 602, the first gas separation unit (e.g., the first gas separation unit 370 in fig. 11), and the separation gas inlet 1842.

In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that embodiments described herein can provide increased and optimized separation coefficients between adjacent processing regions.

As exemplarily shown in fig. 11, a deposition source 630 (e.g., a PECVD deposition source) may include a microwave antenna 700 according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the deposition source as described herein may be a microwave source and configured to provide a microwave plasma. A detailed schematic of an exemplary embodiment of a microwave antenna 700 is shown in fig. 12. According to some embodiments, the microwave antenna 700 may be in the form of an elongated sleeve 720 and include a plurality of slots 710, the plurality of slots 710 being provided along the length of the microwave antenna 700. In particular, the plurality of slots 710 may be evenly distributed over a portion of the length of the microwave antenna, as exemplarily shown in fig. 12A. Accordingly, the slotted antenna may be configured for controlled power delivery of plasma in a processing region. Furthermore, the slot opening in the sleeve 720 of the microwave antenna 700 may ensure that the sleeve, which may be made of metal, for example, is translucent to microwaves.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the microwave antenna 700 may be provided with a first set of slots 711 and a second set of slots 712, wherein the first set of slots are arranged at different radial positions along the antenna length than the second set of slots, as exemplarily shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of the microwave antenna in fig. 12B. This may be beneficial to improve power coupling efficiency.

In view of the above, it will be appreciated that the slot arrangement may provide the ability to control axial power absorption along the length of the antenna. In particular, slot spacing and/or shape may provide fine control over the power absorption curve. Hereby, a slotted antenna for controlled microwave power delivery may be provided.

According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the deposition source may be a linear microwave PECVD source. For example, the deposition source may be attached to a track mounted process cart (rail mounted process trolley). Furthermore, the deposition source may include at least one of a geometrically floating plasma source to ensure gap distance, a fully integrated source gas separator, an optional multipole resonant sensor for on-line plasma density monitoring, a process gas manifold specifically designed for high layer uniformity, low maintenance cost, and easy cleaning. For example, the process gas manifold may be replaceable. Furthermore, according to some embodiments, a deposition source (e.g., a linear microwave PECVD source) may be configured to be compatible with the liquid precursor. According to other embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the deposition source may include a fluorine-based in-situ (in-situ) plasma cleaning capability. Furthermore, it should be noted that deposition sources, particularly linear microwave PECVD sources, may be configured for excellent plasma confinement for minimizing dust during processing.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that embodiments of the deposition source as described herein have a robust and optimized design. In particular, a robust and optimized design of the deposition source may be obtained by providing one or more of a replaceable gas manifold, an optional in-line gas cooling system, an adaptable internal source pump shield, and a replaceable lower source housing unit (e.g., including a gas separator that may be used for coating width modification).

Fig. 13 shows a schematic perspective view of a portion of a processing chamber of a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein, including an opening and closing device 200, the opening and closing device 200 configured to move a shielding foil 250 between a processing drum 142 and one or more deposition sources. As exemplarily described with respect to fig. 6, the processing components (e.g., deposition sources) of the one or more vacuum processing systems may be positioned such that a gap exists between the processing drum 142 and the one or more processing components. For example, the gap may have a width of about 0.5mm to 50 mm. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the opening and closing device 200 may include at least one first portion (e.g., first portion 231 shown in fig. 15) and at least one second portion (e.g., second portion 232 shown in fig. 15), as described in more detail with respect to fig. 15 and 16. The first portion may provide a rotational axis of the opening and closing device 200. The shielding foil 250 may be connected to the second part, for example by at least one of clamping, gluing, magnetic force, soldering and welding. The shielding foil 250 may also be referred to as a "shielding window (jalousie)". The opening and closing device 200 may also be referred to as a "shutter".

The masking foil 250 attached to the second portion can be moved between the processing drum 142 and the one or more deposition sources by rotation about the axis of rotation. For better understanding, in fig. 14, a simplified representation of a deposition source 630 is shown. When the shielding foil 250 covers the area under the deposition source, a plasma cleaning method may be performed. The shielding foil 250 may be moved by automatic actuation, for example, at the beginning of an initiated cleaning sequence.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the opening and closing device 200 may be positioned below (below) the processing drum 142. The masking foil 250 may be moved in an upward direction from below the processing drum 142 to be positioned between the processing drum 142 and one or more deposition sources. By positioning the opening and closing device 200 below the processing drum 142, the number of equipment components above the processing drum 142, particularly the equipment components being moved, can be minimized. Furthermore, particles released from the shutter 200 and/or the shielding foil 250 fall to, for example, the bottom of the processing chamber without reaching or passing through the deposition zone. Hereby, contamination of the deposition process and in particular of the coated layer by impurities can be prevented. According to some embodiments, the shielding foil is resistant to cleaning substances, so that the shielding foil can be reused, i.e. without the need to replace the shielding foil after the cleaning process.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the apparatus may comprise at least one spacing device (see, e.g., spacing device 225 in fig. 13 and 14) disposed, e.g., at one side of the processing drum 142. In some embodiments, one spacer 225 may be provided at each side of the process drum 142. The spacing means 225 may be circular or may be a portion of a circle, wherein the diameter of the spacing means may be greater than the diameter of the processing drum 142. The spacing device 225 may be configured to support the shielding foil 250, particularly as the shielding foil 250 moves between the processing drum 142 and one or more deposition sources. The spacing means 225 may provide a gap between the processing drum 142 or a flexible substrate disposed thereon and the shielding foil 250. Accordingly, the risk of damage to the processing drum 142 or the flexible substrate may be minimized because the shielding foil 250 does not touch the processing drum 142 or the flexible substrate as the shielding foil 250 moves between the processing drum 142 and the one or more deposition sources.

In some other implementations, the shutter device 200 may not include the spacing device 225, and the shielding foil 250 may touch or contact the processing drum 142 or a flexible substrate disposed thereon as the shielding foil 250 moves between the processing drum 142 and one or more deposition sources. In this case, the shielding foil 250 and the processing roller 142 carrying the flexible substrate move at the same speed. In other words, there is substantially no relative movement of the masking foil 250 with respect to the processing drum 142.

Fig. 14 shows a schematic side view of a processing drum of a vacuum processing system including an opening and closing device according to embodiments described herein. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the opening and closing device 200 may include at least one arm, e.g., arm 230, having at least one first portion (e.g., first portion 231) and at least one second portion (e.g., second portion 232). The first portion 231 may provide an axis of rotation for the arm 230. The apparatus may have one first portion 231 disposed on one side of the process drum 142, or may have two first portions 231, one first portion 231 on each side of the process drum 142. The shielding foil 250 may be connected to the second portion 232, for example by at least one of clamping, gluing, magnetic force, soldering and welding.

By rotating the arm 230 about the rotation axis defined by the first portion 231, the shielding foil 250 attached to the second portion 232 may be moved between the process drum 142 and the deposition source 630, and may in particular be moved within the gap between the process drum 142 and the deposition source 630 mentioned above. For example, in the event that an etching process may be initiated, the arm 230 may move about the rotational axis 143 of the process drum 142 and transport the attached shielding foil 250 about the process drum 142.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the axis of rotation of the arm 230 is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation 143 of the processing drum 142. In particular, the axis of rotation of the arm 230 may correspond to the axis of rotation 143 of the processing drum 142. In some implementations, the first portion 231 can be attached to the rotational axis 143 of the processing drum 142 to be rotatable about the rotational axis 143. In some embodiments, a bearing, such as a bush bearing or a roller bearing, may be provided to make the arm 230 rotatable. For example, the arm 230, and in particular the first portion 231, may be attached to the rotational axis 143 of the processing drum 142 via a bearing such as a bushing bearing or a roller bearing.

In some implementations, the first portion 231 may extend substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis 143, and may in particular be capable of extending from the rotational axis 143 of the processing drum 142 at least to a circumferential surface thereof. The length of the first portion may be at least equal to or greater than the diameter of the processing drum 142.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the second portion 232 may extend substantially parallel to the rotational axis 143 of the processing drum 142, and may particularly extend along at least a portion of the circumferential surface of the processing drum 142. In some implementations, the second portion 232 can extend along substantially the entire length of the circumferential surface of the processing drum 142. In some implementations, the second portion 232 may extend from the first portion 231.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the first portion 231 may extend in a first direction and the second portion 232 may extend in a second direction, which may be substantially perpendicular to the first direction. In some implementations, the first direction may be substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation 143 of the process drum 142, and/or the second direction may be substantially parallel to the axis of rotation 143 of the process drum 142.

Although in principle it is possible to move the shielding means perpendicular to the transport direction of the flexible substrate to cover and protect the processing drum during the cleaning process, in this case the curvature of the processing drum and the curvature of the shielding foil are not parallel in the transport direction. The shielding foil will have to be bent in the width direction of the shielding foil. However, when the shielding foil is rolled up onto the roll-shaped roll receiver 220, the shielding foil will bend in the length direction of the shielding foil. Accordingly, hard materials such as shielding foils made of metal may be damaged.

In fig. 15, the opening and closing device 200 having the arm 230 is shown, the arm 230 having two first portions 231 and one second portion 232 connecting the two first portions 231. The first portion 231 may be disposed on an opposite side of the processing drum 142. In other words, one first portion 231 may be provided on each side of the processing drum 142. The first portion 231 may include a hole or central aperture 233, the hole or central aperture 233 being configured for providing a connection to an axis or shaft, such as a connection to the rotational axis 143 of the processing drum 142. Associated with the central bore 233 may be a bearing (not shown), such as a bushing bearing or a roller bearing, such that the first portion 231 is rotatable. As an example, the bearing may be disposed within the central bore 233, or may be disposed circumferentially around the central bore 233.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the shutter device 200 may include a driver configured to move the shielding foil 250 between the processing drum 142 and the one or more deposition sources 630. In some embodiments, the driver may be configured to rotate the arm 230 about an axis of rotation provided by the first portion 231. According to some embodiments, the driver may comprise a motor, such as an electric motor and/or a pneumatic motor.

In some implementations, the driver may be connected to the first portion 231 via a gear assembly. The gear assembly may include a first gear 234 disposed at the first portion 231. As an example, the first gear 234 may be arranged to at least partially encircle the axis of rotation defined by the first portion 231, in particular the central bore 233. The gear assembly may also include a second gear 235 that is directly or indirectly connected to a drive mechanism (such as a motor, e.g., an electric motor and/or a pneumatic motor).

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the switchgear 200 may include one or more roll receivers 220, the one or more roll receivers 220 configured for winding and/or unwinding the shielding foil 250. The one or more roll receivers 220 are configured for receiving the shielding foil 250 and in particular for receiving or holding a roll having the shielding foil 250 wound thereon. Hereby, the roll with the shielding foil 250 can be easily replaced if necessary. In some embodiments, a first end of the shielding foil 250 may be connected to the roll receiver. As an example, a first end of the shielding foil 250 may be connected to the roll receiver 220 and a second end of the shielding foil 250 may be connected to the second portion 232 of the arm 230.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, one or more roll receivers 220 may be provided within the processing chamber. Furthermore, the shielding foil 250 may be (e.g., entirely) disposed within the processing chamber, rather than being disposed outside thereof. In view of this, there is no need to guide the shielding foil from the outside into the processing chamber (e.g. by means of a vacuum lock). This facilitates cleaning of the process chamber without breaking the vacuum in the process chamber.

However, in other embodiments, at least one roll receiver may be provided outside the process chamber. In this case, the shielding foil 250 may be supplied into the processing chamber from the outside (e.g., by an air lock). In this configuration, the first end of the shielding foil 250 may still be connected to the roll receiver 220 and the second end of the shielding foil 250 may be connected to the opening and closing device, in particular the second portion 232 of the arm 230.

In some implementations, at least one of the one or more roll receivers 220 may be provided below the processing drum 142. By positioning the one or more roll receivers 220 below the processing drum 142, particles released from the one or more roll receivers 220 and/or the shielding foil 250 fall to, for example, the bottom of the processing chamber without reaching or passing through the deposition zone. In view of this, contamination of the deposition process and in particular of the layers of the coating with impurities can be prevented.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the roll receiver 220 may comprise a receiving portion 222, the receiving portion 222 being configured for receiving the shielding foil 250 or the roll with the shielding foil 250, and in particular for receiving the roll with the shielding foil 250 wound thereon.

In a typical implementation, the roll receiver 220 may have at least one attachment portion, such as attachment portion 221 in fig. 15. The attachment portion 221 may be configured to provide a rotatable connection between the receiving portion 222 or the roll with the shielding foil 250 and the process chamber. The receiving portion 222 may in particular be mounted within the processing chamber via at least one attachment portion. As an example, the attachment portion 221 may include a bearing or may be connectable to a bearing (e.g., a sleeve bearing and/or a roller bearing) to provide a rotatable connection. In some embodiments, the attachment portion 221 may be configured such that at least the receiving portion 222 is rotatable about the axis of rotation. The axis of rotation of the receiving portion 222 may be substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the processing drum. In a typical implementation, the receiving portion 222 may have two attachment portions 221, one attachment portion 221 on each side of the receiving portion 222.

In other embodiments, the roll receiver may include an attachment portion and may not include a roll receiver. The roll receiver may include at least two separate (e.g., non-connected) attachment portions. The roll receiver may in particular comprise two attachment portions. The attachment portion may be configured to be connectable to a roll having the shielding foil 250 wound thereon, and may be particularly configured to be connectable to a side having a roller having the shielding foil 250 wound thereon. The attachment portion may be configured to provide a rotatable connection between the roll with the shielding foil 250 and the process chamber. To this end, the attachment portion may comprise or may be connected to a bearing, such as a bush bearing and/or a roller bearing.

In some implementations, the shielding foil 250 is disposed on the roll receiver 220, and a first end of the shielding foil 250 is connected to the second portion 232 of the opening and closing arm 210. As the shutter arm 210 rotates about the axis of rotation 143, the shielding foil 250 unwinds or unwinds from the roll receiver 220 and moves between the processing drum 142 and the one or more deposition sources 630, and in particular within the gap between the processing drum 142 and the one or more deposition sources 630, as shown in more detail with respect to fig. 16.

Fig. 16 shows a detailed perspective view of a processing portion of a vacuum processing system as described herein including an opening and closing device. In particular, in fig. 16, two exemplary different positions of the opening and closing device are shown. For example, during a deposition process, the arm 230 of the shutter 200 may be in the first position 230A. In the first position 230A, the masking foil 250 is not disposed between the processing drum 142 and the deposition source 630. As an example, in the first position 230A, the shielding foil 250 may be in a wound or rolled state. To move the masking foil 250 between the processing drum 142 and the deposition source 630, the arm 230 may be moved or rotated (indicated by arrow 260) from the first position 230A into the second position 230B. In particular, by moving the arm 230, the shielding foil 250 is unwound, unrolled or unwound from the roll receiver 220.

In some implementations, the roll receiver 220 may include a retraction mechanism, e.g., a spring-based retraction mechanism, that provides a force opposing movement of the shielding foil 250 and/or the arm 230, and in particular opposing movement of the shielding foil 250 and/or the arm 230 from the first position 230A into the second position 230B. Accordingly, the shielding foil 250 may be subjected to a tensile force such that the shielding foil may be guided between the processing drum 142 and the deposition source 630, in particular without wrinkles and/or without entanglement, for example, between the processing drum 142 and the deposition source 630.

When the arm 230 moves from the second position 230B back to the first position 230A, for example after the cleaning process has been completed, the shielding foil 250 may be rewound or rewound onto the roll receiver 220. In some implementations, the roll receiver 220 can include the retraction mechanism mentioned above. Hereby, the shielding foil 250 may be coiled up, in particular in a tensioned state, so that no wrinkling and/or tangling occurs.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the roll receiver 220 may not include a retraction mechanism, but may include a driver, such as a motor, for rewinding the shielding foil 250 onto the roll receiver 220.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the arm 230 may be configured to rotate at least about 90 °, in particular 130 °, 140 °, 143 °, 150 °, or 180 °. In other words, the angle or rotation angle between the first position 230A and the second position 230B may be at least about 90 °, and may be in particular 130 °, 140 °, 143 °, 150 °, or 180 °.

In view of the above, a shadeThe shielding foil 250 may cover the area under the deposition source 630 and plasma cleaning may be performed without affecting the flexible substrate and/or the processing drum 142. Accordingly, there is no need to break the vacuum prior to cleaning, because the shutter device 200 can move the shielding foil 250 to protect the processing drum 142 during the cleaning process even when the processing chamber is sealed and evacuated. Furthermore, embodiments described herein allow for performing a cleaning process, such as NF ₃ The cleaning process does not require removal of the flexible substrate, e.g., from the plasma cleaning region. Accordingly, in situ chamber cleaning may be provided such that purging and venting the chamber to remove the flexible substrate is not required.

Fig. 17 shows a plan view of a processing portion of an apparatus for processing a flexible substrate according to embodiments described herein. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a first end of the shielding foil 250 may be connected to the roll receiver, in particular to the receiving portion 222, and a second end of the shielding foil 250 may be connected to the second portion 232 of the arm. In some implementations, one or more guide or deflection rollers 223 for guiding or deflecting the shielding foil 250 may be provided between the location of the roll receiver and the second portion 232. The deflection roller 223 may be configured to provide a defined angle between a tangent to the circumferential surface of the processing drum 142 and the surface of the shielding foil 250. As an example, the defined angle may be a flat angle. As shown in fig. 17, the flexible substrate 10 may be disposed on a processing drum 142. The shutter device may be configured to move the shielding foil 250 between the deposition source 630 and the flexible substrate 10, and may be particularly configured to move the shielding foil 250 within a gap between the deposition source 630 and the flexible substrate 10. Accordingly, the flexible substrate 10 need not be removed from the process chamber prior to initiating a cleaning process (such as a plasma cleaning process), because the flexible substrate 10 is protected from, for example, NF ₃ And SF (sulfur hexafluoride) ₆ Is influenced by the cleaning substance of the (c).

In view of the above, it will be appreciated that various methods may be performed by embodiments of a vacuum processing system as described herein. In particular, it will be appreciated that embodiments of the vacuum processing system as described herein provide various possible approaches with respect to: operating a vacuum processing system, processing a substrate (e.g., depositing a multi-layer structure), cleaning a processing chamber, etc.

For example, fig. 18 shows a block diagram illustrating a method 800 for cleaning a process chamber 140 of a vacuum processing system 100 according to embodiments described herein. In particular, according to an embodiment, the method for cleaning the process chamber 140 is adapted to clean the process chamber without breaking the vacuum in the process chamber. In particular, the method 800 for cleaning a process chamber may include: the masking foil is guided 801 between the processing drum and one or more deposition sources 630 by the shutter device 200; initiating 802 a first pumping and purging process in the process chamber 140; providing 803 a cleaning or etching gas to the process chamber 140; plasma cleaning 804 the process chamber; and initiating 805 a second pumping and purging process in the process chamber.

Furthermore, according to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, directing 801 the masking foil 250 between the processing drum 142 and the one or more deposition sources 630 may include: the masking foil is guided within the gap between the processing drum 142 or the flexible substrate 10 disposed thereon and the one or more deposition sources 630, particularly without contacting the processing drum 142 or the flexible substrate 10 disposed thereon.

Fig. 19 shows a block diagram illustrating a method of depositing at least two layers on a flexible substrate. According to an embodiment, a method 900 of depositing at least two layers on a flexible substrate, in particular using a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein, may comprise: a method of depositing at least two layers on a flexible substrate comprising: guiding 901 the flexible substrate over the outer surface of the processing drum; providing 902 a separation gas at least two locations at opposite sides of at least a first deposition source; providing 903 a process gas and exhausting the process gas between at least two locations; and pumping 904 at the at least one vacuum outlet between the first deposition source and the at least one second deposition source. According to some embodiments, the separation gas may be hydrogen, nitrogen, or an inert gas. Additionally or alternatively, the pressure at the at least one vacuum outlet may be less than the pressure in any region of the first deposition source and the at least one second deposition source (e.g., the first processing region and the second processing region).

In view of the above, it will be appreciated that there is a great need to wind substrates of different types and thicknesses within the same production tool. The tension applied to the substrate during winding (transport) may vary significantly depending on the tensile yield (tensile yield), substrate temperature, and substrate thickness. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are equipped with an online tension measurement and control system to ensure stable transport of substrates through a processing system (e.g., deposition system) as described herein. Further, it should be noted that mechanical contact between both the transport roller (e.g., a guide roller as described herein) and the take-up roller (e.g., a tension measurement roller and an extender as described herein) and the coated substrate (e.g., at the front surface of the substrate as described herein) is intentionally eliminated to reduce the risk of forming both scratches and particulate inclusions. As described herein, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an optimized winding path (also referred to as a substrate transport path) to ensure a minimum level of backside contact, which may be beneficial in reducing the incidence of defects due to substrate transport.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the embodiments may be used for multi-layer deposition. In particular, the multi-layer deposition capability is provided by employing an active gas separation system (e.g., a gas separation unit as described herein) for a processing component such as a deposition source (e.g., CVD, PVD, or PECVD) or an etching apparatus. According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a high density plasma source technology, such as a high density plasma source technology having an excitation frequency greater than 2MHz, may be implemented. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that embodiments as described herein are structured to ensure efficient power coupling to the plasma at low thermal budgets. Furthermore, the skilled artisan will appreciate that embodiments as described herein are particularly configured for high quality inorganic layer processing. In particular, it should be noted that the embodiments described herein are configured for liquid precursor processing, which allows for deposition of a multi-layer structure with a variety of different precursors to effectively tailor the resulting layer properties. Further, the embodiments described herein provide a uptime advantage (uptime advantages), such as removing sidewall deposits by in situ plasma cleaning using a fluorinated gas, thereby eliminating the need to open the tool to atmosphere for cleaning and maintenance at the end of each process run.

As can be appreciated from the present disclosure, the embodiments described herein provide, among other things, multi-zone, high-rate deposition sources (e.g., PECVD sources) for dynamic coating, processes and apparatus for in-situ cleaning (e.g., PECVD sources), adjustable gas separations that can be integrated into deposition sources (e.g., PECVD sources) to achieve minimum distances between two adjacent deposition sources, platform scaling for various coating widths, system architecture with modular components, the possibility of forming Single Drum (SD) configurations into Dual Drum (DD) configurations, source orientation of upward deposition architecture for particle management, excellent accessibility to substrates accessing coating drums, and integrated loading/unloading systems.

Additionally, it will be appreciated from the present disclosure that the embodiments described herein provide an improved winding system, also referred to herein as a substrate transport arrangement. In particular, embodiments as described herein provide, inter alia, roller-less contact with the front/layered side of the substrate to be processed, a fixed (permanently installed) winding system with high roller parallelism and winding accuracy, separation of unwinders/rewinders (also referred to herein as supply and take-up rolls) that enable separate pumping and ventilation to reduce the risk of particle contamination, and web guidance control (also referred to herein as substrate guidance control unit) with only two rollers for tension measurement and alignment.

Further, it should be noted that embodiments of the vacuum processing system and methods executable by the vacuum processing system as described herein provide improved fabrication of various devices including thin films, particularly on flexible substrates. For example, vacuum processing systems provide for deposition of layers or layer stacks of thin film barriers, particularly ultra-high barrier layer stacks or flexible TFT devices. Ultra-high barrier layer stacks or flexible TFT devices typically consist of a series of layers that are typically deposited by PECVD or PVD processes or combinations thereof. Due to the high demands on the quality of the different films, individual films are often deposited in specially designed systems for each individual film. In order to reduce costs and make applications commercially available, vacuum processing systems as described herein provide improvements by combining the deposition of at least a set of films or combinations of films in a single coater. Furthermore, the modular concept of a vacuum processing system allows for a combination of several processing modules (e.g., a first processing module comprising a first processing chamber, a second processing module comprising a second processing chamber, an unwind module, a wind-up module, and an intercalation module). Furthermore, the embodiments described herein provide improved separation of process gases with significantly higher separation coefficients than existing systems, and in particular even variations of different processes performed on the same apparatus. In view of the foregoing, according to some embodiments described herein, a flexible ultra-high barrier layer for an OLED display and/or illumination, a flexible solar device, or other electronic device that requires protection from the adjacent environment may be provided. This may include, for example, deposition of etch stop layers, gate dielectrics, channels, source gates and drain electrodes for flexible TFTs.

Further, it will be appreciated that the embodiments described herein may be advantageously used and configured for new display applications (e.g., displays for mobile devices) driven by form factors such as shape, size, weight, nonfriability, etc. Furthermore, embodiments described herein provide high throughput, low manufacturing setback, particularly by providing an R2R processing system as described herein. In view of the foregoing, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments described herein are configured for various applications, such as overlay lens applications (e.g., hard coating, AR layer stack, etc.), touch screen applications (e.g., ITO film TP, metal mesh, etc.), display applications (e.g., barrier films for quantum dots, OLED displays, etc.), and electronic applications (e.g., TFT backplanes, particularly <200ppi TFT backplanes).

In particular, it will be appreciated that the embodiments described herein provide R2R CVD applications for scratch resistant coatings on "cover glass" alternatives, R2R CVD applications for PT hard coatings as well as optical coatings and touch panels, R2R CVD applications for display front panel packaging, and R2R CVD applications for TFT backplanes and ultra high barrier layers (UHB) of substrates.

For example, embodiments described herein may be used to fabricate a semiconductor device including SiO _x (e.g., for hard coatings, low refractive index optical layers, etc.) and/or SiN _x (e.g., for high refractive index optical layers). Furthermore, embodiments described herein may be used to fabricate ultra-high barrier layers comprising SiO _x (e.g., for substrate barrier layers, device barrier layers, etc.) and/or SiN _x (e.g., for substrate barrier layers, device barrier layers, etc.). Furthermore, embodiments described herein may be used to fabricate flexible TFT display barriers that include a-Si: H (e.g., ELA precursors for channel layers a-Si, LTPS, etc.) and/or μ -Si: H (e.g., N+ contact layers and/or SiO for a-Si TFTs) _x (e.g., gate dielectric for etch stop layer, IGZO, etc.) and/or SiN _x (e.g., for a gate dielectric).

Claims

1. A vacuum processing system (100) for a flexible substrate (10), the vacuum processing system comprising:

-a first chamber (110) adapted to house a supply roll (111) for providing the flexible substrate (10);

a second chamber (120) adapted to house a take-up reel (121) for storing the flexible substrate (10) after processing;

-a substrate transport arrangement comprising one or more guiding rollers (104) for guiding the flexible substrate (10) from the first chamber (110) to the second chamber (120);

-a maintenance zone (130) between the first chamber (110) and the second chamber (120), wherein the maintenance zone (130) allows a maintenance access to or belonging to at least one of the first chamber (110) and the second chamber (120);

a first processing chamber (140) for processing the flexible substrate (10), wherein the first processing chamber (140) comprises:

at least one deposition source (630), wherein the at least one deposition source (630) comprises a microwave antenna (700), the microwave antenna (700) being in the form of an elongated sleeve (720), the elongated sleeve (720) comprising a plurality of slots (710) arranged along the length of the microwave antenna (700), wherein the plurality of slots (710) comprises a first set of slots (711) and a second set of slots (712), and wherein the first set of slots (711) are arranged at different radial positions along the length of the microwave antenna (700) than the second set of slots (712);

a processing drum (142) having an outer surface for guiding the substrate (10) through a first vacuum processing zone and at least one second vacuum processing zone, wherein the processing drum (142) has a rotation axis (143) extending in a first direction; and

-an opening and closing device (200) configured to move a shielding foil (250) between the processing drum (142) and the at least one deposition source (630), wherein the opening and closing device has an arm (230), the arm (230) having two first portions (231) provided on each side of the processing drum (142) and a second portion (232) connecting the two first portions (231), the two first portions (231) providing an axis of rotation of the arm (230), and the shielding foil (250) being connectable to the second portion (232), the opening and closing device further comprising one or more roll receivers (220) configured for winding and/or unwinding the shielding foil (250).

2. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 1, further comprising a channel (150), the channel (150) connecting the first processing chamber (140) to the second chamber (120) or to a second processing chamber (240), wherein the channel (150) is disposed above or below the maintenance zone (130).

3. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 1, further comprising a channel (150), the channel (150) connecting the first processing chamber (140) to the second chamber (120) or to a second processing chamber (240), wherein the channel, the first chamber (110), and the second chamber (120) enclose the maintenance zone (130).

4. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 2, wherein the second processing chamber (240) is positioned such that the second chamber (120) is disposed between the maintenance zone (130) and the second processing chamber (240).

5. A vacuum processing system (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the second processing chamber (240) comprises:

a processing drum (142) having an outer surface for guiding the substrate (10) through a first vacuum processing zone and at least one second vacuum processing zone, wherein the processing drum (142) has a rotation axis (143) extending in a first direction; and is also provided with

Wherein the at least one deposition source (630) of the first processing chamber (140) or the second processing chamber (240) is arranged at a height at or below a horizontal centerline of the first processing chamber (140) or the second processing chamber (240), respectively.

6. A vacuum processing system (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the second processing chamber (240) comprises:

at least one deposition source (630), wherein the at least one deposition source (630) of the first process chamber (140) or the second process chamber (240) is arranged at a height of the first process chamber (140) or the second process chamber (240) at or below the rotation axis (143) of the process drum (142).

7. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 2 or 3, wherein at least one of the first processing chamber (140) and the second processing chamber (240) comprises: a first portion (146) providing one or more deposition sources; and a second portion (147) allowing communication with the channel (150) of the vacuum processing system, wherein the first portion (146) and the second portion (147) are connected along a line inclined with respect to the vertical.

8. Vacuum processing system (100) according to claim 5, wherein a heating device (131) is provided adjacent to the processing drum (142), wherein the heating device (131) is configured for stretching the substrate (10) or for maintaining the stretching of the substrate, and wherein the heating device has a dimension of at least 20mm in a direction parallel to the substrate transport direction (108).

9. Vacuum processing system (100) according to claim 5, wherein a heating device (131) is provided adjacent to the processing drum (142), wherein the heating device (131) is configured for stretching the substrate (10) in a direction perpendicular to a substrate transport direction (108) or for maintaining the stretching of the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the substrate transport direction (108), and wherein the heating device has a dimension of at least 20mm in a direction parallel to the substrate transport direction (108).

10. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 8, wherein the heating device (131) is positioned between the processing drum (142) and an extender roller (144), wherein the extender roller (144) is a first roller to touch a substrate upstream or downstream of the processing drum (142).

11. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 8, further comprising a heat adjustment unit, wherein the heat adjustment unit (133) is positioned opposite a first side of the heating device (131), and wherein the heat adjustment unit (133) and the heating device form a gap or tunnel providing a path to the flexible substrate (10).

12. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 5, wherein the at least one deposition source (630) has a curved surface, wherein the curved surface of the at least one deposition source is shaped such that the at least one deposition source has a surface that is substantially parallel with respect to the surface of the processing drum (142).

13. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 5, wherein the at least one deposition source (630) comprises:

an electrode (602) having a surface, wherein the surface of the electrode is opposite the outer surface of the processing drum (142);

a process gas inlet (612) and a process gas outlet (614), wherein the process gas inlet and the process gas outlet are arranged at opposite sides of the surface of the electrode; and

at least one separation gas inlet (1842) having one or more separation gas inlet openings, wherein the one or more separation gas inlet openings are provided at least at one of opposite sides of the surface of the electrode (602) such that the process gas inlet (612) and/or the process gas outlet (614) are provided between the one or more separation gas inlet openings and the surface of the electrode.

14. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 5, further comprising an actuator (374), the actuator (374) configured for adjusting a distance between the at least one deposition source (630) and the outer surface of the processing drum (142).

15. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 5, further comprising an actuator (374), the actuator (374) configured for adjusting a distance between an electrode of the at least one deposition source (630) and the outer surface of the processing drum (142).

16. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 5, further comprising a gas separation unit (370) for separating the first vacuum processing region from the at least one second vacuum processing region and adapted to form a slit (20) through which the substrate (10) can pass between the outer surface of the processing drum (142) and the gas separation unit (370), wherein the gas separation unit (370) is adapted to control fluid communication between the first vacuum processing region and the second vacuum processing region, and wherein the fluid communication is controlled by adjusting a position of the gas separation unit (370).

17. The vacuum processing system (100) of claim 1, further comprising a substrate guiding control unit (300) for guiding a substrate, the substrate guiding control unit (300) comprising a single guiding roller (104), wherein the single guiding roller (104) comprises:

a first substrate tension measurement unit (301) and a second substrate tension measurement unit (302) for measuring the tension of the substrate (10) at a first end and a second end of the guide roller (104), wherein the second end is opposite to the first end;

an adjustment unit (310), the adjustment unit (310) being placed at the first end or the second end of the guide roller (104), the adjustment unit (310) being an adjustment actuator (313) for moving one end of the guide roller (104); and

-a data connection (311) for supplying the measured tension from the first end of the guiding roll (104) and the measured tension from the second end of the guiding roll to a controller (501) for controlling the adjustment unit (310).

18. Use of a vacuum processing system (100) for processing a flexible substrate according to any of claims 1 to 17.

19. A method (900) of depositing at least two layers on a flexible substrate using the vacuum processing system of any of claims 1 to 17, comprising:

directing the flexible substrate over an outer surface of a processing drum;

providing a separation gas at least two locations on opposite sides of at least a first deposition source;

providing a process gas between the at least two locations and exhausting the process gas; and

pumping is performed at least one vacuum outlet between the first deposition source and at least one second deposition source.